We Americans have been given a tremendous gift--the gift of freedom. It was not given freely, though. Men and women have fought and died for it over the last two hundred plus years. Prior to the emergence of our nation, the world was ruled by monarchs and dictators. These still exist, and we can be thankful that when we, as a people, cast our vote in public elections, despite legal challenges and cries of wrong-doing or corruption, newly elected leaders take their place in our government. There are not riots in the street, and there are no buildings exploded in protest.

There is one freedom in particular that we enjoy that leaders in some other countries deny their citizens--the freedom to speak, write, and read whatever we want. When our community budgets money for a library, or when a bookstore opens in our town, we should all say a prayer of thanks. Just remember that there have been times and places (sadly, even here in America) where people have burned books just because they disagreed with what the author had to say. There are books each of us would take issue with, but that's the beauty of our great country--we have the freedom to disagree and a legal system which allows us to challenge someone else's right to say what they say or the way in which they say it. We are so blessed to be so free.

I write this to remind us all that as the New Year is upon us, we should be ever grateful and ever diligent to protect our freedoms... and to give thanks for those that fight to protect our way of life. There are those in other countries, and even infiltrating our own borders, who would gladly die to destroy what we call our way of life. Reading is one of the freedoms they would take away from us. The advances in women's rights is another one. Still further, the freedom of religion is another right many would take from us. "To have rights, one must belong to OUR religion," is their way of believing. 

Let us go into the New Year not only with thankful hearts and watchful eyes, but with renewed enthusiasm and appreciation for what is good about our country. The worst of the economic meltdown seems to be behind us now. The economy (trickle down though it is) seems to be well on the way to recovery. Continue to have faith in a better future, and act as though it is here now. The future, after all, is whatever we make it.

God Bless us all, our America, and our Earth, and all its inhabitants. Let us live in gratitude, peace, prayer, and prosperity.