As I’m sure many of you have plans to celebrate the Fourth of July tomorrow, be sure to take some time to give thanks and appreciate the true meaning of this holiday.

Along with many other holidays I feel like The 4th is no longer celebrated for its true meaning. So I just want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that tomorrow we celebrate the anniversary of our countries independence.

To be completely honest, I have never enjoyed celebrating the Fourth of July. For a while I even avoided wearing the combo of red, white, and blue because I was so annoyed with what this day had turned into. So many people my age (and embarrassingly grown adults with children) use this day to party, drink, talk about “‘Merica” (just please stop using this word…) and play with explosives while intoxicated. Not exactly my idea of fun nor have I ever understood how this honors our country’s independence and our appreciation for the place we live. This is not a holiday to point out that America is better than every other country, it is a time to appreciate what our country has to offer, to appreciate what we have, and to be thankful for those who have helped to positively shape America. I know, I sound like an 80 year old right now.

I’m not saying that having fun and enjoying fireworks are wrong, I’m just suggesting that no matter how you choose to celebrate, be sure that you are remembering the actual meaning of this holiday.

Take time to be thankful for our Country and think of what you can do to play a role in making it a wonderful place to live.

Be safe and have fun.