TulipGirl

Some meandering thoughts on Independence Day. . .

Jennie Manning compiled this slideshow as a tribute that is shown while she is singing “God Bless the USA,” hence the music is background music and not the full vocals. She shares, “The last time the chorus is sung, The words go as follows: “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. I won’t forget the MAN who died, who gave that right to me.” . . . I have spiritual freedom, and freedom from my sins because of the death of Jesus, so it just fits the emotion of the song to say that!”

There are many places in the world where our brothers and sisters in Christ have spiritual freedom, but do not have the political freedoms we have in the US, or the religious freedom to worship publicly without persecution.

This particular slideshow tribute has additional meaning to me because some of the pictures are from people I knew many years ago on GTMO in the 1980s. This family is still both serving the Lord and serving their country. Thinking of them has me reflecting on Independence Day, and remembering Cuba — especially strong memories of a certain Fourth of July.

The Fourth was a big holiday on GTMO. Lots of fun with parades, picnics, tanks to climb on, cantatas. . . This particular Fourth I won the pie baking contest with “Martha Washington’s Favorite Cherry Pie.” I’ll post the recipe one day. . . I was also in the cantata performed by the base chapel choir. Sailors from the ships doing training at GTMO had shore leave for the holiday. I remember all the festivities and fun. But right across the bay I could see smoke rising in columns, smoke from the Cuban sugar fields. We were celebrating freedom, but could almost see the people who were still laboring under the harsh yoke of Communism. Remember, this was before “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” This was before the fall of the Soviet Union and its stranglehold on countries around the world. The sharp divide between freedom and bondage was almost palpable that day.

Hubby’s brother returned from a mission trip to Cuba just a few weeks ago. Today he organized quite the spread of Cuban fare — roasted pork, black beans and rice, tropical fruits, fried bananas, mojitos. . . It seemed oddly appropriate to me. And along with our thankfulness to the Lord for our freedom in Christ and freedom in life, we prayed for the country of Cuba, its people, and our persecuted brothers and sisters there.