Celebrating America's birthday

Hope you all had a spectacular Independence Day weekend (for those of you who are stateside). What a blessing to be an American! I was reflecting on the struggles my grandparents bore and the dreams they nursed to ship their families over to the States. They instilled their grandiose hopes into their children, my parents, who toiled to bring them into fruition. Now I am insanely privileged to reap from my family's perseverance: the many freedoms I am able to enjoy at others' cost. So humbling and quite analogous to our ultimate freedom from sin at Christ's cost on the cross. Which made me realize how often I take these truths for granted and fail to display gratitude. Last Friday's celebration served as a sweet reminder of such as we spent time with dear family friends. Everyone lit sparklers while Serene played with (tried to eat) grass. We culminated Fourth of July festivities with tasty barbeque and plenty of Os oat cereal for the baby, some of which she ended up wearing on her face in hilarious obliviousness. Such a silly, sweet creature. What a responsibility we have to teach her, by God's grace, not to take her freedoms for granted!