Let Freedom Ring!

We didn't plan anything this year for the 4th of July mostly because of the pandemic but also because we have been working so hard on trying to get the house done. 

But..... we did get a sweet surprise! 

Mom & Randy came over to look at the new siding and they brought a box of fireworks and asked Levi if he would light them off. 

My mom LOVES fireworks and this year all the public viewings were cancelled. 

It was a great break for our family and we lite them off early because I didn't think we would make it if we waited till dark. 

It worked out perfectly. Mom sat/stood in the car and the kids lined up their chairs next to her. 

Thanks Randy for the pictures!

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• July 4, 1776 - America gained its freedom from Britain
• January 1, 1863 the emancipation proclamation was signed and black people gained freedom from their enslavers.
• August 18, 1920 the 19th amendment was passed, granting women the right to vote. 
• July 2, 1964 Civil Rights act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. 
• August 6, 1965 the voting rights act was passed outlawing discriminatory voting practices.
• 1967, the US Supreme Court ruled that laws banning interracial marriage violate the 14th amendment.
• June 15 2012 DACA allowed for immigrants brought as children to the U.S. to receive a renewable two year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit. 

May American continue its trajectory toward life, liberty. and the pursuit of happiness for all. May she never rest until freedom rings in every home from sea to shining sea. 

"History, after all, is people" 

"Historical perspective gives us a profound sense of being part of a long chain of life that went on years before us and will go on years after us, with customs and events differing in many ways but man's problems and aspirations, his grief and joys, remaining substantially the same. The realization that we are not alone, not unattended, brings color and richness to our present experiences reinforces our fortitude and resolves our hesitancies." Elizabeth Janet Gray

We are not stranded on an island with one book to occupy the rest of our days...We can mix it up. We can read to our children a wide variety of books and let the author show them how similar life can be and how different. The solution is not less history or less books it is more. 

"Great art has often been made by bad people" Camille Paglia

So what? We can read to our children what we want. If we read to children widely without fear, we can expand their hearts and furnish their minds and in doing so, give them a place to contend with ideas that may be too painful or awkward to discuss anywhere else.

Excellent Book for these Current Times - The Enchanted Hour Meghan Cox Gurdon
The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction

My thought is that most of the issues in our current world could be addressed by being better parents. Reading for ourselves and to our children.  Discussing life and history so we all may continue to learn and grow for the better. 

Read and Understand the Whole History. Not just the part you see on the news. 

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