I went to the State Fairgrounds tonight and saw the fireworks show for the first time in my life. Wow. It was overwhelming to say the least. I think I often (actually I always) take this country for granted. I obviously don't always agree with everything our government does, but I am free to speak my mind and lobby to change the government's policies, decisions, whatever. I read recently in the NY Times about a woman who has been under house-arrest for twenty eight years because she helped lead a protest in the Phillipines. And in Topics (and when I was in Chile) we learned about the oppressive dictatorships that held Latin America in a death-grip for a good part of the 20th century, killing dissidents in mass numbers, torturing people, and forcing the "disappearances" of thousands more. And of course there was Iraq and there's Saudi Arabia with their restrictive (or not so much anymore in Iraq) governments. And the military (an appendage of the government) in Sudan killing thousands of people. I guess I never really contemplate how lucky I am to have been born here...free, healthy, etc. It's really true, though, that, as Lee Greenwood sings, "If tomorrow all the things were gone, I'd worked for, all my life, and I had to start again...I'd thank my lucky stars to be livin' here today, 'cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away." I am proud to be an American. But sometimes I still wonder, why "God shed his grace on me"? Anyway, the fireworks show was really a magical experience for me because I again realized how lucky and blessed I am (and how grateful I am) to be living in a country where freedom is guaranteed, where rights are inalienable, where your voice can be heard if you speak loudly and persistently enough, and where we can "dream in red, white and blue, and we can dream as much as we want to." (and the fireworks were also an amazing experience because I'd never been to a fireworks show before.)