Blessings of Philadelphia Freedom

Dust in the Wind
Editor Bill Boyle
What a great blessing to live in this wonderful place at this wonderful time! In coming days, we get to celebrate an event that impacts us every day: the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
We look back in time with the certainty of knowing what happened. We know now that the War of Independence would result in victory… despite the odds. But they did not.
We know now that the nation would grow and develop, under the protection of an inspired Constitution. But they did not.
We know now how much progress we would make on the incredible promise of what America could become. But they did not.
They were a small group of 13 separate colonies, on the edge of the wilderness, that were somehow able to band together and defeat the greatest army on Earth.
A major reason they were able to overcome the odds is summarized in the beautiful words of the Declaration of Independence:
“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.”
These words helped revolutionize the colonies, they helped revolutionized the continent, and they helped revolutionize the entire world.
Billions of people across the globe now know the blessings of liberty as the winds of freedom that started in Philadelphia now extend to lands away.
I remember well the Bicentennial celebrations of July 4, 1976. I was 13 years old and was caught up in the excitement of the celebration. It was similar to the upcoming celebrations, with lots of fun local and national events.
In addition to having a great day in Blanding, the highlight to me was the incredible fireworks displays and the tall-masted ships that sailed into New York Harbor on that day.
I felt, deep within my core, that I was blessed to be born in such a nation and that I had an obligation to live up to that blessing.
In many ways, 1976 was a dark and uncertain time in America. We had just stumbled through the nightmare of Watergate and the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The United States had left Vietnam just a year before. A Middle East Oil Crisis was sending gas prices sky high and triggering inflation. Many people were losing faith.
However, we learned through these difficult times that we are a resilient people and have a remarkably resilient government. Hang on, better times are ahead!
I hope that we can pause and reflect and express appreciation for the blessings that come from God, for the blessings that come from living in this land of promise, and for the blessings of Philadelphia freedom!