Let Freedom Ring

First things first ... happy Independence Day to all of you and a special thank you to all of those who have or are currently serving in the military. The freedom we enjoy and celebrate today is because of the sacrifices of men and women who believe in the tenants our country was founded upon ... tenants of honor, integrity and faith.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." --- The Declaration of Independence

Over the last week, I've received a ton of messages asking me to give my opinion about the decision handed down by the Supreme Court concerning marriage equality. I have purposely not stated my opinion because, as I've written before, my blog is not a platform, nor will it ever be. There are certain issues that I will write about from time to time, but not with the intention of debating the right or wrong of those subjects on a wide platform. Yes, I do have an opinion about the Court's decision, of course I do ... as do all of you as well, and I'm more than certain that some of you adamantly agree with the decision while others of you vehemently disagree. And the truth is, that's a huge part of the celebration of Independence Day ... freedom. Freedom to agree ... freedom to disagree ... freedom to speak out ... freedom to remain silent ... freedom.

Now having said that, let me share with you something that happened a week or so ago when I was out walking with Ollie on the trail ... something that has caused me to think a great deal about freedom in recent days ... something I had to think long and hard about before I decided to share it ... but today, I feel like I should do so. As some of you know, I used to help out with the little kids on Wednesday evenings at the church I previously attended. And as I've said several times, I miss those little kiddos a lot. It was a nice evening, and Ollie and I were walking along at a pretty good clip when I noticed two children riding toward us on their bikes, a boy and a girl. I recognized them instantly as being children whom I had worked with at church, and I instinctively lowered my head and pulled my cap down on my forehead ... not because I have done or ever would do anything wrong or inappropriate ... absolutely not. I lowered my head and pulled my hat down because I don't know what the children were told when I stopped helping on Wednesdays, and I certainly didn't want to put the kids in an uncomfortable situation if they recognized me.

My plan didn't work, however, and as soon as the boy and girl got close enough to me, they hopped off their bikes and ran to hug me and pat Ollie. They wrapped their little arms around my waist, one kid on each side of me as the little boy said, "Oh, Miss Terrie, I've missed you so much! Where have you been? Remember when you brought Ollie to the lesson time? And you taught about God's faithfulness? I remember that, do you?" The little girl squeezed me even harder as she said, "Me, too! Me, too! Me, too! Have you been sick?" I patted the kids' shoulders and told them I missed them, too, and asked about school and how their summer was going. I smiled as they both talked at the same time, telling me about baseball games and swimming lessons and catching fireflies after dark.

I had seen their mom walking a fair distance behind the kids, and when she got close enough for the children to hear her, she snapped her fingers at them and said in a stern voice, "Get on your bikes, and let's go." The little girl excitedly said, "But look, Mom, it's Miss Terrie." I'm pretty sure I will never forget the sharpness in the woman's tone as she answered her daughter, but I'm beyond certain that I will never forget the look in the children's eyes as they stepped away from me, picked up their bikes and slowly climbed on. Her words? "I'm well aware of who she is ... get on your bikes ... now ... we are leaving." I told the kids it was good to see them and wished them well, nodded my head and tipped my cap to their mother, and prayed that my legs wouldn't buckle beneath me as I tugged on Ollie's leash and walked past the group of three. I saw them again a couple of evenings later, and as the kids rode past Ollie and me, the little girl said quietly, "Sorry, Miss Terrie, but we can't talk to you. Our Mommy said we can't."

I'm sure some of you are wondering what in the world my comments about not sharing my opinion on the Supreme Court decision, what happened on the trail with the kids and their mother, and freedom have to do with each other. Here's the thing ... the Court has the freedom to rule as they deem just on marriage equality and all of the other issues they rule upon as well. The kids, when they are old enough, will have the freedom to choose to love people because of the sincerity and honesty of their hearts and nothing else. The mother has the freedom to judge my character based on the person she believes me to be. And me? Well, I have the freedom to be me ... the me I was created to be. 

A day to celebrate freedom ... think about it, friends, and celebrate well ... celebrate well indeed.