"I love this Land, God bless the U.S.A.!"

It's one of my favorite holidays-the food, the parades, the fireworks! What a fantastic country we live in; where we are not only free, but free to celebrate it with family and friends alike! It is difficult for me to not express these feelings without getting a little emotional. Call me a baby if you want, but each 4th of July I try to take some time and reflect on my thoughts and feelings for our great nation and those that have perished protecting it. This past week was the death of Arnold Friberg, the great artist who famously painted pictures, most notably, for The Book of Mormon. I am fortunate enough to own a large lithograph of one of his other famous paintings of George Washington praying at Valley Forge. As I thought about those things I remembered as a young Boy Scout visiting the historic battle sights on a trip back east to the National Boy Scout Jamboree. We went to Gettysburg, Valley Forge, and Arlington National Cemetery, among other historic sites. I remember, at Arlington, very vividly the rows and rows of graves marking those who had paid the ultimate price for my freedom. We visited The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and witnessed the changing of the guard-what an awe inspiring sight it was to see the marines in full uniform and synchronized precision with which they performed their maneuvers, it was simply beautiful and magnificent (copy and paste the following web address to see what it's like if you have never been). www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XiuZRb_4UU

The memory that fills my mind the most though, is, I remember walking off of the tour bus as a bunch of rambunctious and loud Boy Scouts and instantly being taken over with a feeling of ultimate reverence! As we proceeded we spontaneously spoke in a hushed respectful whisper. It was not planned or rehearsed, I think it was a simple and mature realization of where we were and the understanding of the significance of what Arlington National Cemetery represented! I hope to someday return there with my family and hopefully share a similar experience with them. I hope that whomever reads this will take a moment and reflect on what makes you grateful to be a citizen of this great country founded by our Heavenly Father! May He bless you and your family and continue to bless the U.S.A.! Go to this web address to see a video that illustrates kind of how I feel.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgKJ7o4ECRg