Thanks for the Freedom

Thanksgiving is regarded by many as a uniquely American holiday, and for good reason. Those of us who live in the United States have more for which to be grateful than much of the rest of the world, not the least of which is the freedom we enjoy so freely that we almost take it for granted. I am free to sit at my desk during my lunch hour and write pretty much whatever I feel like writing without fear of censorship. I have the freedom to work, the freedom to worship, the freedom to speak out, the freedom to vote, and the list goes on. I live in a nation where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were regarded by the founders as my inalienable rights, a fact that I might well lose sight of by succumbing to the temptation of believing that I am entitled to these things simply by virtue of being alive. There’s the old adage that you don’t appreciate what you have until you lose it, and that’s a good reason for me to make sure that I am grateful enough for my freedom now so that I won’t ever have to experience losing it. There are those who would, I am sure, like to take away the many freedoms I enjoy, but hopefully that’s not as likely to happen if I intentionally value and exercise them on a daily basis.