Tomorrow we celebrate the 4th of July: our nation’s day to celebrate independence. As I reflect on this holiday each year, I think about the freedoms that we have in America...freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble. Just read our Constitution’s Bill of Rights and you can clearly see the principles of liberty and inalienable human rights upon which our nation was based. By declaring our independence, our nation to broke free from excessive laws and taxes passed down by a government that would not grant them representation.
Independence does not always have to be reflected on such a grand scale, however. Many individuals celebrate independence on a much more personal level – such as a young child experiencing her first sleepover party or a teenager receiving his own set of car keys. Here at the YWCA of Charleston, we celebrate independence every day as we help our clients experience true independence for the first time. Sometimes it means helping a young woman and her child move from transitional housing into their very own apartment. Other times it means helping a woman break free from her abuser and re-establish a life free of violence. It can even mean providing quality childcare to a single mother, giving her the assurance that her children are in a safe and positive environment while she works during the day to support her family.
No matter how great or small, freedom is an attribute that we often take for granted. I am grateful that one hot summer day each year, we can look at the stars and stripes and be reminded of how truly precious independence is. So from every mountainside, let freedom ring!
Independence does not always have to be reflected on such a grand scale, however. Many individuals celebrate independence on a much more personal level – such as a young child experiencing her first sleepover party or a teenager receiving his own set of car keys. Here at the YWCA of Charleston, we celebrate independence every day as we help our clients experience true independence for the first time. Sometimes it means helping a young woman and her child move from transitional housing into their very own apartment. Other times it means helping a woman break free from her abuser and re-establish a life free of violence. It can even mean providing quality childcare to a single mother, giving her the assurance that her children are in a safe and positive environment while she works during the day to support her family.
No matter how great or small, freedom is an attribute that we often take for granted. I am grateful that one hot summer day each year, we can look at the stars and stripes and be reminded of how truly precious independence is. So from every mountainside, let freedom ring!
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