Reflecting Upon 234 Years
July 4th always makes me reflective. This year it found me in Colorado with my husband who plays in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as they spent 8 days playing concerts at the Gerald Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado. Music also makes me reflective and elevates my soul, especially the extraordinary performances of the DSO. Performed live in the beautiful mountains of Colorado only heightens the aesthetic experience.
July 4th always makes me reflective. This year it found me in Colorado with my husband who plays in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as they spent 8 days playing concerts at the Gerald Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado. Music also makes me reflective and elevates my soul, especially the extraordinary performances of the DSO. Performed live in the beautiful mountains of Colorado only heightens the aesthetic experience.
History is also one of my passions. So, when you combine a July 4th patriotic concert of live music performed by the Dallas Symphony with the incredible majesty of Colorado…well, you get the idea. It isn’t hard to transport yourself to this moment in time with me. Now, factor into the equation that I brought with me a stack of biographies/autobiographies of great Americans, and I am ‘over the top’ with music, history, and God’s grandeur!
Our country just celebrated its 234th birthday. In the timeline of history, we’re still toddlers, but look what we have accomplished! The profound panoramas of people that are a part of American heritage leave me utterly speechless at times, especially when I reflect upon the founding of our country. The intersection of such brilliant minds and brave, independent personalities laid a foundation that is one we should never take for granted. With much of the world suffering in horrific manners, torn apart by wars and famine, or fighting to preserve freedom, words to express our appreciation seem inadequate.
As I found myself reflecting over some of the founding fathers, I began to ponder what their blogs would’ve looked like today. Let’s start with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who "coincidentally" both died on July 4, just 50 years after the Declaration of Independence had been signed. Ah, what a Twitter that would’ve been!
“The flames kindled on the Fourth of July, 1776, have spread over
too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of
despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and
all who work them.”
—Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1821
Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family wrote on his blog, “As we celebrate the anniversary of our independence, we would be wise to celebrate our dependence on the great God of the universe.”
To this, I say a resounding, Amen! How about you? What are your reflections upon the 4th?
