Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, America’s Independence Day. It dates to 1870, when on June 28 of that year, the United States Congress established the “national holidays” of New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Before then, Independence Day was already routinely celebrated often with artillery salutes, speeches, prayers, and parades.
On the day after passing the resolution approving the Declaration of Independence in 1776, knowing something more than special had just happened, John Adams wrote to his wife:
"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 forever more."
He certainly got that right. Today it is recognized from one end of the world to the other. America is like that.
As children we two have markedly different memories of our youthful pursuits of freedom. Michael recalls backyard barbecues capped with running through the yard with sparkler sticks while the municipal fireworks display shone in the eastern sky where they exploded in light and color. His was a pursuit of freedom from school days, homework and practices, and early bedtimes. Diem recalls days learning English, adapting to a new way of life, and trying to fit in. Her youth was spent seeking political asylum, adrift on the open sea in search of new life. Hers was a pursuit of freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom to live.
We two are a mini-microcosm of America. Different background, different cultures, different paths to our education and careers yet somehow blending to this shared objective of enhancing people’s enthusiasm for life that we called ROAMcare. We could not alone have done what we accomplished without the other’s help, support, acknowledgement, recognition, sometimes approval, and sometimes just presence. Only together do we proceed and hope to succeed.
America is like that.
We see an America as a macrocosm resembling the ROAMcare miniature, where people of different cultures and backgrounds, of different languages and learning, of different paths on different journeys all meet up and say, “Hey, I’d like to help you refresh your enthusiasm for life, deal with your challenges, and help you find your motivation, and then maybe you can help me too.” It may sound dreamlike but in reality, that is a truth spoken across many backyard fences in many modern neighborhoods.
For a different site, Michael wrote an article comparing America to a marching band. He recalled his daughter playing the piccolo in a marching band. Piccolos are not usually featured instruments but provide depth. When she practiced, he was never certain if she was playing the right notes because by itself, there was no recognizable melody. But together with the other instruments, it became music!
America is like that.
Alone, we don’t sound like much. We’re single instruments seemingly playing random notes that make little sense alone. The strength of the band, the beauty of the music, is not in the instrument. It is in the players who know when to play their notes, trusting that by allowing the other musicians to play their own notes, they will make beautiful music together.
It’s not the number of people that make the country, it’s the variety. America works because of the different voices, playing different parts of the same song.
This Independence Day, take a moment to think about how our differences are what makes us unique as a country. America is those who have never left the boundaries of their hometowns and America is those who began life halfway around the world. It is people who worship in churches, synagogues, mosques, or nature. It is people of different races, ethnicities, generations, and abilities. Celebrate those differences but celebrate the whole also. The music sounds best when all the instruments are playing together. We are at our best when we play together too.
America is like that.
Love this! We are better together. Together we offer one another depth, richness, a variety of hues and colors, and a wonderful opportunity to hear the wisdom beyond our own heads. We make each other better because we're different--you're so right in that. An America of all the same would be dull, boring, and limited in its appeal and growth. An America of diversity offers everyone the chance to learn from one another, to think beyond the confines of our own experiences, to value what others bring to the table. I love the band motif! Unless you're the parent of the piccolo player (Michael), you may not hear the distinct sound that instrument makes in the whole band. But it…