Red, White & Boo!

Too bad we couldn't do a Haunted Maze for the 4th of July - Red, White, & Boo! How cool would that be. Alas, the corn & the maze itself isn't ready for such an event. But it sure is an interesting concept. Hmmm. Maybe, some day in the future.

Back to Independence Day for a moment. History tells us that the signing of the Declaration of Independence actually began on July 2, 1776. Delegates continued signing the Declaration throughout July and into August. After all, they couldn't just hop onto a 747 and cruise at high altitude for an hour or so to get to Philly, PA. Delegates like Jefferson, Adams & even Washington rode by horse and occasionally carriage for weeks, hence the signings into August.

Of course, there will always be debate as to why we celebrate our Independence on the 4th rather than the 2nd (the first day of signing) or even in August when the last signature was penned. Really does it matter when, but that we do? These men, our nation's Founding Fathers, were courageous men. By penning their signature to the Declaration of Independence, they were essentially signing their lives away with a treasonous act. Yes. Treason. If we had lost the War of Independence, these men could have easily lost their lives to the Crown for treason. Courageous indeed. How many of us can say the same for ourselves? Do we have the ability to stand up for our beliefs, even to the point of death? It's definetely something to ponder.

So again, does it matter what day we celebrate? Not really. We celebrate with barbeques, get-to-gethers and fireworks. Some communities celebrate with parades, speeches and even re-inactments. The important thing is that we collectively, as a nation, remember our roots. We remember the courage not only of the Founding Fathers, but of the farmers and laborers that made up the Continental Army. We remember the courage of normal, everyday people fighting for a specific cause that if successful would ultimately be to their betterment. Was the fight easy. No. Was it short. No. Yet, we their descendents live our lives with freedoms that many in the world still don't have. We benefit from our fore fathers' sacrifices. This is the reason we celebrate and remember. Does what day we celebrate matter? No. Only that we do.