We All Bleed - Red, White and Blue

In just a few days, cities and towns all over the world will be gearing-up for the holiday celebration of the 4^th of July. The holiday which declares our symbols of freedom and our appreciation to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

My grand what a mess this world is in; everywhere you turn there is disaster, trauma, and sadness, whether it’s some made from nature or others made by man.  There are fires raging out of control in California and homes by the hundreds destroyed with no relief in sight. Hundreds of brave firemen fighting an uncontrollable monster with teeth of flames biting at the edges of land yet to burn.

There is flooding in West Virginia like nothing those folk have ever seen. People standing in knee-deep water looking at nothingness, spaces of land where their homes used to be. Where they used to laugh, grill hot dogs and hamburgers, and shoot off fireworks on holidays like this. They won’t be celebrating anything this year other than life itself – the fact that they are still alive – even if they only have the clothes on their bodies and the empty land on which they still stand, as the body count continues to rise.

I’m sure to these people they feel as if they are all alone, that no one else is even aware of what they are going through – except for the national news reminder every night – the reminder that many of us forget about as soon as the newest show of Jeopardy airs right after.

I lived in Albany, Georgia during the Flood of 94’. There is nothing like the feeling when you’re packing up to leave, trying to decide what to leave and what to take, or the absolute fear and feeling of desperation that almost overcomes you and paralyzes your body movements and your thought processes.

And then, after it is all over, you come back home to sights your eyes nor mind could have ever imagined, and the sadness is so overwhelming you’re left wondering will life ever be the same again? The ruination is so much worse than anything you think you have ever seen on television – and you cry – for yourself and for everyone who is experiencing loss.

There will still be celebrations this year and there will still be cook-out’s, fireworks, sack races, and small children running around dressed in red, white and blue with sparklers held in their tight little hands, and smiles on their faces with no cares in the world.

My hope is that even though we are not sheathed in sadness or overrun with fire and rain, that as we all spend time with our family and friends – we take the time to remember why we have these freedoms, why we are lucky enough to live in the greatest place on earth, and say a prayer for those who are struggling and having a hard time trying to remember their own happy times from better days.

We ARE the greatest show on earth – God Bless the USA.