Happy Independence Day! It’s hard for me to believe, but in 1976, fifty years ago, my godfather invited me to visit him in Boston to celebrate the Bicentennial. It was my first big trip without my family, and looking back, it’s amazing how many adventures my godfather and I had during those three weeks. We spend days walking the Freedom Trail around Boston, and then, because he was a salesmen, traveling around New England.
The years between 1976 and 2026 flew by, and I’m grateful to have had the chance to travel throughout the United States and Europe many times and I’ve loved every adventure I had. One remarkable trip with my family took us to Colorado, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. It was a ton of time in the car, but I will never forget the places we saw, especially the Grand Tetons and Cripple Creek, Colorado, my father’s birthplace.
A few weeks ago, I took the train down to Washington DC. I hadn’t been there for a few years, and I wanted to visit and walk the Mall. I recently started working on my stamp collection after many years of my Minuteman Album sitting in a drawer. My first stop was to the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, just across the street from Union Station. I wish I could have spent the whole day there, but maybe next time. There’s so much to see at this museum, even if you aren’t a stamp collector.
After leaving the museum, I walked to the Lincoln Memorial, which was quite a trek, but it was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed seeing so many school children visiting our nation’s capital. With all the division we are experiencing as a country right now, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was grateful to see the crowds of people, and most seemed happy and peaceful. I guess none were politicians.
As I walked back to the train station, I went into the National Archives. I wanted to once again look upon our nation’s founding documents. They are certainly faded now and the words hard to make out, but the power and majesty of the words written on those sheets of parchment still pack a punch.
Just like in the past, we will make it through these trying times and, please God, come out better because of these days.
May God bless the United States of America, and may this nation return to unity and civility, so we can grow and thrive for many years to come.