red, white and blue

(credit where credit is due)

I love The Big Picture. It makes me want to be a better photographer. It makes me see the story behind a photo. It gives me chills and makes me cry.

I saw this image last night as I was catching up on the many posts that I've missed lately. It immediately stuck with me. I've pictured it in my head constantly for the last 24 hours. Its emotion hasn't left me. I think it tells such a beautifully, hard, tragic story without using any words. And it is the image I'm thinking about on this Independence Day.

I don't hold our country above everything else. I think that sometimes we can over-do patriotism especially in the church. But I am VERY thankful for where God placed me on this earth. I believe that it gives me much responsibility for all that I have been given. Just like my money and my time, it is something that God has given to me to use for His purposes. It doesn't make me better than everyone else. It doesn't give me a golden ticket into heaven. It doesn't mean that my part of the world is better or more advanced or more anything than any other country in the world.

But it is the one I live in. It is the one I am thankful for. It is something to be celebrated with fireworks and picnics. (and naps and Friday Night Light marathons and 24 FULL HOURS OFF!)

Happy Birthday, America.