President John Adams wrote to his wife in 1776: The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.

While we Americans do a great job of celebrating with pomp and parade, I cant help but be struck by Adams wishes for the day to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. I can personally confess to falling way short on that. Games? Got it. Illuminations? Really got it. Picnics with burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream. Oh, yeah.

But this solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty mandate has thrown me into a public statement of guilt. Oh sure, I do pray solemnly and reverently for those who came before me, who threw themselves into the line of fire to give me freedom. And liberty. And of course the ongoing pursuit of happiness of which we are so addicted. But celebrating July 4th with solemn acts of devotion has never been ingrained into my thinking about the day.

I love what Paul says about freedom in the book of Galations: It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. Gal 5:13-14 (The Message)

As July 4th is celebrated throughout this great country of ours, I will be celebrating my freedom and liberty with my family in another land. We will be vacationing in South America, where, ironically enough, the personal freedoms we have so enjoyed here in the United States are in scarce supply throughout many regions there. Whether or not we will even have access to illuminations is in serious debate. The probability of enjoying hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream is downright miniscule.

Wherever you happen to be this July 4th, I hope you take some significant time out of your day to honor John Adams wish: commit to spending some portion of your day to solemn acts of devotion. Take time out today to pray for our country. Pray for the soldiers on the other side of the world who are currently fighting for others freedoms. Pray for their familiesthat they have peace about their loved ones safety and mission there. Pray for our leadersthat, while keeping the courage to stand up for their convictions, they would continue to keep the interests of others at heart as well. Pray for the safety of our citizensthat we be protected from random acts of terrorism and violence. And pray for those who came before usthose men and women upon whose tall shoulders our personal freedom and liberty rest.

Enjoy the day with your family and serve one another with love. Gather with neighbors for a bike parade. Enjoy your favorite barbequed foods, run through the sprinkler, catch fireflies with your kids, suck ice cream out of the bottom of a cone, and watch fireworks on a blanket in your local park or in your own backyard.

And promise to be ever mindful today, of your personal freedom, your liberty, and your rights. Be thankful. Pour out a blessing on behalf of those to whom you owe it. Love others. Hug your kids. Hug your spouse. And pat your dog.

Happy Independence Day!

NOTE: Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson, 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Carolina Fernandez

Carolina Fernandez earned an M.B.A. before working at IBM and as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch. She left the corporate world to work as a full-time wife, mother, and homemaker.

Coming home to longer hours, harder work, and more demanding relationships left her feeling totally overwhelmed. Granted, she traded one investment field for another which has yielded immeasurable returns heretofore unimagined. Nonetheless, her frustration at her lack of ability in tackling all of motherhood?s inherently difficult challenges pushed her into a nearly twenty year labor of love. Her research in child development, child psychology, social psychology, nutrition, and exercise physiology, along with indispensable insights and experiences gained along the way, finally evolved into ROCKET MOM!

She re-invented herself in the process. She has dabbled in the domestic, performing, and visual arts, undertaking projects ranging from painting in oils to hooking rugs to singing onstage in Carnegie Hall. She has developed strong convictions about the role of the arts in child development; these convictions have shaped the specific strategies played out in the book.

She has a passion for inspiring creativity in people of all ages, from pre-schoolers to rocket grandmoms! Indeed, she receives particular joy in helping moms on the front line as they engage in what is arguably the most creative challenge ever invented: motherhood. To this end, she writes and speaks extensively, and is constantly developing teaching materials in her effort to share the crucial intervention of creative nurturing in developing children. She shares her message via radio and TV interviews; print media; and in speaking platforms via seminars and workshops, lectures and keynotes for pre-schools, women?s groups, retreats, civic organizations and adult education classes. Her soon-to-be-launched cable TV program, ROCKET MOM! will reach thousands of households in the Fairfield County area of Connecticut.

Her newly-formed Rocket Mom Society attempts to meet her mission head-on as she ?encourages, equips and empowers moms for excellence.?

She lives with her husband and their four children in Ridgefield, Connecticut.