i’m proud to be an American

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this morning i took Elijah to our local parade for the 4th of July celebration.
i got him all excited about the horses and the big trucks and floats and balloons and candy.
{but apparently throwing candy is now a liability so they didn’t have any, lame!}

i got him so excited for all the little features that when the soldiers and armed forces marched by i realized i was focusing on the wrong reasons to be excited about the 4th of July.
as the big tanks and men in uniform passed us, i knelt down next to Elijah and tried to explain who they were. i told him that they were the men and women that help us and fight for our freedom.
they were the ones who helped us be able to live the lives we have now.

i realized as i was talking to him that our lives are pretty easy compared to the men and women that have gone before us to pave the way.
because of them, my son can grow up to be whatever he wants to be.
because of them, i can write on this little blog.
because of them, we can worship and believe how we choose.
because of them, my family can live in peace.

i have always been so grateful to be an American.
but watching my son look at the soldiers and try to help him understand their importance magnified the incredible blessing that we have to be citizens of this nation.
i hope i can raise Elijah to be grateful for this country and to those who have sacrificed so much for us.
i hope he will always understand the privilege we have to live in this day and age.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!
thank you to all who fight to protect our freedoms every day!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

I was just talking to my husband today about how I really want to raise our kids to be patriotic. I feel like that's something that has been lost from the newer generations, including my own. But it's SO important! Thanks for the reminder of that. And happy 4th to you too!

Unknown said...

Elijah is so stinkin' adorable! Happy Fourth!

Brook said...

Great message and I love that you had that moment. Happy 4th!

Bonnie Gutzman said...

This almost just made me cry. Okay, I might have cried just a little. Thank you so much for teaching your little guy about that. :) It feels SO good to know that others appreciate the challenges that the military members (okay, and their families!) face. One thing I miss about America is being there on the 4th of July...I love that feeling of nationalism and of bursting with love for my country.

Alyssa said...

I love this! What a cute little man! I'm proud to be an American too!! Happy Fourth of July!!

Cassie @ Live.Laugh.L0ve. said...

Beautiful post! Happy fourth of July to you are your family!

Unknown said...

I think, even though they are small, we should still try and explain things like that to them. :)

He is so adorable, he's getting big!!

Alexis Kaye said...

this is such a sweet story! :)

Unknown said...

Parenthood
We start off early watching television and then envisioning our American dream. As a child, we play with our babies, doll houses, and writing in our diaries. We start at the tender age of 4 or 5 looking for our prince charming to marry. Over time, we replace our crushes of princes and other Disney characters with real boys. Sometimes it is the boy that sits next to you in class or a movie star. Either way, it is getting you ready for that all important task called LOVE.........


http://www.richlymiddleclass.com/parenthood

Thanks

Erin James said...

your little one is so cute!! :)