A little late, but

In the past, the Fourth of July has been another day off of work, a BBQ and fireworks, but this year, things hit me a little differently. I think it's because I happen to be on the road a lot lately, seeing parts of America that I either haven't seen before or haven't seen in a long time. Maybe I'm beginning to reflect more as I get older, or maybe I was bored in the car, regardless of the reason, the outcome is the same. I feel incredibly blessed to be in the family I'm in, the community I live in and the country that holds everything together. I mentioned that while we were driving, I was thinking about the people in the towns we drove through, but I was also looking at how beautiful the US is. The mountains in TN, NC and KY are absolutely gorgeous. I spent a week in Jonesville, VA back in the summer of 2004 (I think that was when I went) doing a mission trip. I remember sitting on the front porch of the family we were working with and looking out over a little valley. There were cows grazing a little down the hill and you could see for several miles down to a little town with a white steeple church. It looked like a picture you would see hanging in a gallery, or at least one that I would like to stand and stare at for a long time. The lady of the house came out to sit with us and we commented on how beautiful her view was. She looked down the same valley we found so beautiful, thought for a moment and said, "I guess it is pretty, I never really thought about it." Ever since then, I make it a point to see the beauty in things around me. Not that she did anything wrong or was blind to it, she just was used to it and took it for granted. The same curvy roads that had Makiah ready to puke in the back of the van, flashed me back to my childhood days spent in Lafayette, TN. I loved it there and some of my fondest childhood memories are from the time I spent there with my dad and extended family. My point being, Makiah doesn't think that area is all that nice, since his recollection is of being queasy, whereas I get a tear in my eye just thinking about it. I realized that there is very little left of the Lafayette area to go back to. My brother doesn't live there, my dad and grand parents are all waiting my arrival in heaven (hopefully putting in a good word for me) and my aunts have moved further south. I still have uncles there and my niece and her husband and kids live there, but seeing as how ALL of my TN family lived there at one time, the draw to this town is much smaller than it was in the past. I know things change, people move and die, but Lafayette was as close to "home" as I ever had, even though I never actually lived there. We moved a few times as kids, nothing compared to a military family, but enough that I never felt home in those places we lived. Iowa is my home and I've expressed my love for the state in the past, but I don't have roots here, so it still seems like the place I live and not the home I guess I long for. Wow, ramble, ramble, ramble. My original point was, this Fourth of July, I was really thinking about the good things about the US. I know there are a lot of things we have done wrong, as a country, but there are so many things we do right. Whenever there is a disaster in the world, we are the first to step up and offer help. I can't say we have the best record in stepping in during times of injustice, but we can't do it all. In my travels abroad, I've seen how the everyday person isn't always the US's biggest fan, but the businesses sure do love us.(might have to do with our consumer mentality, you be the judge) I don't think we have many past military people in our family, but I have a current one. Chad Marshall, God bless you and thanks for your service. I know we don't communicate much, but I wanted to let you know on (or at least around) this time of year, that I appreciate your service and pray for your safety everyday. I hope you know that your entire family is proud of you and hope you are enjoying your time overseas. I've been wanting to say that for a long time and I'm not sure why I haven't. Damn allergies are flaring up again:)