Happy 4th of July weekend!

Rory's mom sent this picture to me back in November and I've been hanging onto it ever since for this day. Sorry it's not any bigger, but if you look closer, this is all people. It's astounding to me. The picture was taken in 1918 with 18,000 men at Camp Dodge in Iowa.

I remember when I studied abroad in India, I was so nervous about what India would be like, and how I'd relate to that country. But on the airplane ride there I sat next to a tiny woman who was kind in her smile and persistant in her desire to communicate, even though we didn't share a single word of the same language. She was sweet and sort of changed my outlook as we landed in her homeland. After that airplane ride I could relax because I realized that I would get to know India, one person at a time. India became less of a place for me, and much more a people.

I love this picture, then, because it's the best representative of our country. We the people. And especially this picture showing many, many men and women who chose to defend our liberty and fight for our independence. One person at a time decides to take pride in our homeland and many more decide to fight for our freedoms. We are a blessed people.

So happy 4th of July everybody! I hope you're celebrating with some great people today.