Journal Entry for July 4, 2026
(My nephew is the one wearing eyeglasses in the FEATURE PHOTO)
ActiveRain July 2026 Challenge: Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday!
I have lived through so many changes. My earliest recollections of celebrating the 4th of July Independence Day were with my family at Grandma and Grandpa's house. On that special day in history, he wore his World War 1 Army Uniform. I bowed my head and said my prayers the last time I saw him at his funeral. In the coffin he rested, in peace, wearing his WW1 Army uniform. I was in sixth grade at that time.
GOD BLESS AMERICA, LAND THAT I LOVE
Through my parents and their parents, I learned about how important it is to embrace family unity. So, every Sunday, after church, we gathered for supper with everyone from my mother's big side of the family for dinner, giving thanks. We were thankful for our dinner. These are the things I remember about why we were thankful:
- My parents’ parents, Grandma and Grandpa, immigrated to America - the legal process to get to America and stay in this country was a reason to be thankful.
- As children, we were taught how lucky we were to eat what Grandma cooked and not have to stand in soup lines in Chicago for a meal.
- I learned how important it is to read, write, and learn English correctly. The English language was a gift we are given in the schools we attended and were expected to graduate.
- We learned to never make fun of other people who did not dress like us, speak correct English, and we learned to help one another.
After my family came home, we changed our clothes then waited until dark. My family, the people who rented downstairs from us, and the neighborhood kids gathered on our front porch. My father gave each of us punks and sparklers to celebrate the 4th of July. The older boys from the neighborhood threw Cherry Bombs into the sky where there were no trees. Then, all the kids including myself, set off snakes that burned black trails on the sidewalk before going home to sleep. Those were the days I learned to be thankful.
I am proud to be an American because I was born and raised in Chicago. In school I learned the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, including many patriotic songs. As a result of living in America, and attending schools, I learned about common courtesy and obedience to my parents, teachers, and authorities. In addition, throughout my life, I practiced truth, honesty, integrity, and understood, stealing, cheating, and lying are wrong. Finally, from an early age, I learned there are other countries where people are not free.
For those reasons, I am proud my mother's father served in the Army, joining in 1917 in World War 1. That's how he earned his right to U. S. Citizenship and why my other grandparents had to apply for U.S. Citizenship, going through the legal process.
Other Family Service Records:
My father served in World War 11 in the Navy. I became pen pals with an Army fellow I met after his one year of duty in Korea. We met during his 30-day leave before serving in Vietnam and married within months after his Honorable Discharge. I have nephews who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan War in the Marines, Navy, and as a Medic. I also have a niece who served as a Prison Guard. I am proud of the fact that all my relatives who served became respectable citizens and parents. From each and every one who served, I learned about courage, strength, family unity, and how to live the American Way with pride and dignity.
In sum, legally immigrant children of ancestors who were part of the first wave of legal immigration prior to 1900, like my grandparents, were proud to be Americans. It gave us rights to pursue educational goals, and to participate in civic duties. I grew up with a strong attachment to American values and ideals, such as freedom with a fair chance to succeed in home ownership and because family members of own, and others paid dearly to safeguard American Freedom.
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