Sweet Land of Liberty

How grateful I am to live in this sweet land of liberty. In church last Sunday we were singing this hymn and it made me cry. Why? One is because my oldest brother was severely hurt in the service, he was in the hospital for 18 months, that is when I was 10 years old and he was 19 years old. From the time he signed up to go into the Marines, it was always tough for our family to hear this song and not worry about him. That memory is still fresh in my mind. The second reason is because I feel so grateful to be here and have all the blessings of freedom that we do. I hope this 4th of July, we all take time out to say a prayer of gratitude, for being able to call the United States of America... our home!!!

 

My Country 'Tis of Thee ( America )'

My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our father's God to, Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!

(written by Samuel Francis Smith; the tune used for this song is "God Save the Queen", the British National Anthem)

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.  I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."  ~Abraham Lincoln

"The cement of this union is the heart-blood of every American."  ~Thomas Jefferson