As I hear the cannon fire and each state named in order of joining the United States of America, I am transported back in time when a group of people are boarding a boat seeking freedom to practice their religion. Then my mind flashes forward to another group meeting together to declare their independence. Finally in my mind’s eye, I see these people coming together again to find common ground and create a constitution. Interestingly enough, the first amendment in this new constitution contains the right to establish and practice the religion of your choice. A right that was fought for on many occasions and one of the reasons many had come, and still come, to this amazing country; The United States of America.
Every year all of America celebrates our independence and our freedom on July 4th. We celebrate with barbeques, families get together, swimming, watermelon, corn, and the beautiful bursts of noise and color in our firework shows. Being on a military installation to celebrate this day is a different experience then celebrating it anywhere else. I would recommend that everyone take the opportunity to celebrate with Veterans when possible. A military base celebration of Independence Day can have many of the same typical components as everywhere, but there is a feeling that it different. Maybe it is the strict stand at attention with shoulders pulled back and necks stiff as the national anthem is played. Or perhaps it is the knowledge that each and every person there has sacrificed for their countries freedom. Soldiers have left homes and families and seen horrors they can neverunsee. Wives and husbands have kept the home front going becoming a single parent for a time and pushing the fear of losing their loved one aside. Some have lost a loved one, a dear friend, their brother or sister in arms, or have simply come home forever changed.
As the spouse of a military soldier I have experienced some of these things, watched as dear friends dealt with others of them, and will endure even more in the coming years. In many ways, I count it as a privilege to sacrifice for my country and for freedom to continue. Whenever it is time to pack up and move again, I think of all the founding fathers went through to provide freedom for me and my family and my sacrifice pales in comparison. Those original colonists truly left all they ever knew and took a chance on a new place. I can look on the internet and see what housing options, activities, and local life a new place offers. They had to blindly take a chance on the unknown.
How do we honor their sacrifice? Is a barbecue and fireworks enough?
My life and many others have been affected by more than just the sacrifice of those original American pioneers. I have also been blessed by the sacrifice of pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints. In a country started in many ways by the desire for freedom of religious beliefs, the early saints for the LDS church were persecuted heavily. They truly sacrificed much to freely practice their religion. They were driven from every US city that they went to. They were shot at, killed and even had an extermination order issued against them in Missouri. They finally fled outside of the geographical United States territory toward the greatunknown of the west. Sadly, they were unable to receive that fundamental right to worship and be free from persecution until they were no longer a part of the US. Thankfully, that has since changed and members of the LDS church are no longer hunted down.
Among these LDS pioneers were some of my own ancestors and they have left me a legacy of sacrifice. In the month of July we celebrate not just our country, but also Pioneer day. In Utah they celebrate this day with parades and various other activities. Unfortunately, I have never been in Utah on that day. I have only experienced a simple ward celebration for that day. Yet, I still feel like I have seen LDS pioneers' sacrifices honored. In Nauvoo countless wonderful missionaries daily reenact and honor the sacrifice of LDS pioneers. It is easy to see and feel of the sacrifice of those early pioneers when you see the amount of work that goes into building a wagon or when you feel of their faith through their stories. It is almost as if you are stepping back in time and you finally understand their lives. You understand why leaving the homes they built was a sacrifice. They did that for me and for so many others like me who would be blessed by being a Mormon.
When we honor those sacrifices of pioneers, whether they be the pioneers of United States or LDS pioneers, we are blessed because it helps us remember the gifts we have been given. We have been blessed with freedom and that freedom, especially the freedom of practicing our religion and our beliefs, is worth honoring. One of the best ways we can honor it is by not letting it slip from our grasp. We can fight for that freedom to continue to be available to all and learn, as the founding fathers learned, to find a way to work together in spite of our differences.
