Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 10, 2009
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Pettus L. Read
You could say that summer’s arrival is announced by an increase of warmer temperatures. But, the surefire way of knowing that summer is upon us is by the sprouting of striped tents on vacant lots for firework sales during the last of June and the first of July. It seems that this year the tents appeared faster than in the past for the celebration of our nation’s birthday and the number of night skies that contained sparkles of ignited gunpowder also increased.
Our patriotism seems to be overwhelming if you can calculate it by the number of bottle rockets and roman candles we buy from these corner markets of household explosives products. From what I have seen around most towns and Interstate exits this year, there should have been enough gunpowder in our state for the Fourth that we could have caused a major change in global warming on the night that all the fuses were lit for the celebration.
The Fourth of July has always been a special time of the year for me. Where I was born and grew up, as well as where I still live, there is an event carried on that marked 80 years of community patriotism. In the small community of Rockvale, just west of Murfreesboro, the annual Fourth of July Picnic held by the local Ruritan Club had it all with ball games, hayrides, lots of homemade food, and most important of all, reunions of friends and family.
Of course, I had my annual hamburger with all the trimmings, a snow cone, chocolate fried pie and a cold soda water from the ice filled cow trough on the grounds of the local community center.
It was on that very spot, that once also contained my school, that I spent 12 years of my life and graduated from many years ago. Everyone was dressed in their patriotic attire and just for that day, we all came together to renew old acquaintances and remember why we love this country so.
The community that I hail from is probably much like many others across this state; as well as the one you grew up in. Most are made up of family members who have lived there for generations and have the desire to live nowhere else. These small pockets of rural community pride are really an important part of what gives this country its patriotism and has helped mold the character of many of its citizens. In these small towns, its citizens still know each other by who their parents and grandparents were, along with making those who chose to live in their community’s geographic regions, from other parts unknown, feel welcome.
It was community and country pride that brought those farmers together back in 1776. Their dedication to preserving their way of life and freedom is why we still enjoy living in a country with so much to offer.
That same pride and love of country continues to be passed down in many of our small communities by community-minded organizations like our Ruritans, Lions, Rotary, Civitan, Kiwanis and others who continue to return more to their communities than they receive.
Today, most of our news talk is about the current recession. We spend a lot of airway time talking about what’s gone wrong and how bad things are with the current economy. Yet most of us are doing pretty good with food on the table, a roof over our heads and freedoms that the majority of the people in other parts of this world can only dream about. For over 230 years our young men and women have heeded the call to be a part of this country’s Armed Forces. Many have come from our rural communities and cities to fight in distant lands to continue to preserve our freedoms as well as the freedoms of others. And they continue to do so today. We can help by also being a volunteer and community supporter in the towns and rural communities across this state. There is much to do and many are needed to keep the community pride going.
Just as each of us supported our troops by taking time this past Fourth and salute our flag with dignity when it passes by in a parade, we can still give them our support daily by saluting a member of the Armed Forces when you meet them on the street and let them know you care as well as appreciate them for what they do.
Patriotism doesn’t stop after the last sparkler goes out on the Fourth, but continues each day as a new sun rises on this great
country.
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