Just what Ms. Independent Needed

It's July 4, and I'm not wearing red, white and blue nor sporting little flag earrings. As a matter of fact, if it hadn't been for church this morning it might have been really easy to pull the covers back over my head and just not face to world today. You say I'm not patriotic; that's where you are wrong. I'm just tired of how commercialized Independence Day has become! And, it's pretty simple in this town, where it seems the neighbors have been setting off LOUD fireworks for the past 10 nights until way past my bedtime, and employee productivity has likely been down all week with everyone chatting about their "big weekend plans". I think that most people forget why we even celebrate Independence Day, and so I have been rather "scrooge" like about the holiday until this morning at church.

You see, we had a special visitor at Ashland United Methodist this morning. Lt. Colonel Tim Karcher came and greeted the congregation as the service started. He and his wife were married at AUMC, and it is his church home, but just a little more than a year ago, he was fighting for his life, while fighting for OUR freedom. Late in June 2009, he lost both of his legs when a bomb hit his vehicle in Iraq. As he sat in his wheel chair at the front of the church and thanked the congregation for their prayers, he reminded us of a simple message. God hears our prayers, and He always answers them. I wish everyone could hear Lt. Colonel Tim's message. Maybe more people would pray.

So, it's people like Lt. Colonel Karcher in Iraq; my grandpa, Captain Donald C. Stannard in the Pacific Theater of Japan during WW2; and friends Justin Rutledge, Josh Moritz, Rodney Harp, Brandon Douglas, Jarrett Martin, and so many other men and women who have served and are serving our country that have allowed us to keep our freedom that I'd like to recognize on this Independence Day. Thank you for our freedom. Thank you for allowing us to live in a country where we can pray. God Bless our service men & women and God Bless the U.S.A.