It was a special 4th of July for our family, it was the first time that my son Logan got to see fireworks. The whole day was in anticipation of nightfall and the fireworks that are synonymous with Independence Day.

Among the fireworks, cookouts, picnics, and games, it is easy to forget the true reason that we are celebrating…our freedom.

Freedom is something that most of us take for granted. They say that you do not appreciate something until it is gone. We have such great freedoms in the country that others simply do not have. Imagine not having the freedom to say what you want, pray how you want, or not being able to make the choices that you want.

The fact is that our freedom was built from men and women that gave their lives fighting for the freedoms that we have today, whether it be on the battlefield, in the courtrooms, or on the streets.

Our freedom has given us many choices in our lives and the best way to honor those that have made our freedom possible is to make the best choices we can, to live the best life we can, and to teach our children that freedom has come at a price…it should not be taken for granted.