In keeping with my Word of the Year: grateful, in the month of July (and every day), I am beyond grateful for the freedom which still exists in America today. When I read the news, digitally or in newsprint, about the lack of freedom in other countries, I am more and more thankful to have been born in the good ol’ U. S. of A.

When I look back at how unaware I used be as a youngster of the freedoms we had, I cringe. And even, when I look around today and see how oblivious others can be of the freedoms we are blessed to have now, I cringe more so. As a whole and or individually, we can often take our freedoms for granted. Sadly, we can think that the freedoms we currently have will live on forever and ever. But they might not.

Our freedoms hold true today only because of those who have given their lives to protect us. Our ancestors. Our military. Our law enforcement. All those who stood up to pave a better way for their descendants, their future.

Freedom does not come free. Every day, freedom carries with it the cost of life. Those who stand up to protect us. Those who put their lives on the line ahead of their families, ahead of themselves. These persons are the heroes in our country, this “free” country that we can and often do take for granted.

Truthfully, I am not one who is eager to stand up and put my life on the line if it means death. Sure, I would jump up in a heartbeat to protect a loved one, or maybe even a stranger, if I were put on the spot and needed to take action. However, I wouldn’t be the first one volunteering to go to war to protect my loved ones. I would wait to be drafted. War is scary. But there are other things any of us can do to protect our freedoms.

If we have a voice, we can speak out about injustice. If we write, we can inspire others – those who feel called to a purpose higher than themselves – to do what they can to take action. If we are creative with photography, video, or graphics, we can use our skills to show others how we can fight for our freedom. We can take action right here, right now, where we’re at.

When is the last time you have been grateful for your freedoms? What are some of your freedoms you can name? A few of mine are:

There are others. But tell me, what are some of yours?

If there is one thing I have learned since I was young, it’s that freedom is not free. It takes the soldier, the police officer, and you and me to keep it.

It isn’t until we start to consider that we could be required to answer to a corporate entity or government agency that we start to realize how good we have it here in the United States of America. Just the ability to come and go as we please, do what we like, buy what we desire, own what we want is true freedom. These are freedoms not everyone has to enjoy today.

Think about when you were a child and you had to ask your parents for everything. In some countries, you don’t even get to ask. There is no asking. There is simply abiding by the law of the land. Here in America, once we are on our own, we have a lot of freedoms. We just need to open our eyes and mind to see how vast those freedoms are and the value they play in our life.

To help ensure the wealth of our freedoms, we need to be thankful for that freedom. By being grateful, we can to keep letting that freedom ring on and on.

Whether you pray or meditate, send those grateful vibes into the great universe. Do your part to promote continued freedom where you live. By doing so, we can be a part of ensuring we live in a country where we don’t have to worry if we’ll be arrested for not being where we’re supposed to be or doing what we’re being asked to do against our wills.

Let us all be grateful today for living in America, this place we call “the land of the free.” Let’s do what we can each do to inspire everyone to be grateful for our freedoms today. May we also do our part to instill this in our future generations to come.

Let your freedom continue ringing on – now and forever!

Love & hugs, Virg