Abigail said it BEST

This afternoon a pair of Dear Friends and I, joined by our gaggle of children, took a field trip to downtown Provo to see the Colonial Village set up to celebrate the Freedom Festival. There were several displays, many colonial-dressed ladies, and some hands-on activities that our four year old friend, Kyler, was not allowed to touch. We heard about some very interesting things that took much longer than a 2-and 4-year old had the attention span to hear.

One thing I enjoyed very much was found in the Hall of American History. Along with a copy of the Constitution (hand written by the original's original calligrapher) there were several other displays emphasizing the importance of those early American colonists who put their own lives on the line to create this nation. One pair of framed letter fragments caught my eye. They were pieces of letters from John and Abigail Adams.

John Adams, the 2nd president of the United States, wrote prolifically to his wife and Abigail did the same back to her husband. They were separated for years of their married life while he was away on the business of the government--the Continental Congress to an appointment to France looking for an ally in the War for Independence. Their letters tell much of the story of an infant America. Their letters tell much of their lives as civil servants and loving spouses.

Last summer I read David McCullough's biography of John Adams. It read like a novel but was researched like a legal brief. From that reading, I found I really liked John and Abigail. They interested me. They intrigued me. And they inspired me.

In an letter Abigail wrote to her beloved husband in the early winter months of 1777, she expressed something that I remembered today during our field trip. She wrote, "Posterity who are to reap the blessings will scarcely be able to conceive the hardships and sufferings of their ancestors."

She was right. There is no way I will ever comprehend the 'hardships and sufferings' of those devoted revolutionary men and women. Yet, I am a beneficiary of the blessings they provided. Today, I enjoy the blessings of citizenship, of the freedoms they procured and were determined to preserve. How can I ever repay their efforts? In actuality, I can't. I never will be able to come close to matching what they secured for me in this land.

The best thing I can do is be grateful for all that we enjoy in this country and then teach my children of the truly heroic and visionary men and women who sacrificed and dedicated themselves to providing a country unlike any other. Ever.

Thinking about what we enjoy in America, often thoughtlessly, it makes me want to fly the flag and wave sparklers every day. It makes me Proud to be an American. It makes me grateful for what we have and take for granted every day other than the Fourth of July each year. I hope my kids can get that same feeling of love and respect and awe for what our country has to offer. THAT is the best way I can think of to show my gratitude to the founding fathers and our other colonial ancestors for this marvel that they created for us, 232 year later.