The definition of ‘freedom’ from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/freedom
1.  the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial.
2.  exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
3.  the power to determine action without restraint.
4.  political or national independence.
5.  personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.
9.  frankness of manner or speech.
15.  the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like.
16.  the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend’s library.
17.  Philosophy . the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination.

Freedom can truly have a different meaning to every person.  I thank God every day for the freedoms that I enjoy and those that have sacrificed to provide those freedoms to me and to anyone that lives in our great nation.

As I’ve been preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July, I’ve been reflecting on this country, our past and current struggles, those that have sacrificed and my hopes for our future.  Despite the wrongs and the failures we’ve had, I am still proud of this country and proud to be an American.  I am extremely grateful that men and women are still willing to put on a uniform and fight for us.

I know it is not memorial day, but if you read this please remember those that have sacrificed to grant us the freedoms that we enjoy.  General George S. Patton said it the best:

It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.