Just so you know, I’m one of those people who is an unabashed, unashamed, believer in America and the American Spirit!  While not every thing is perfect about the country, I’m a believer in the ability of America, because of its people and its historical ideals, to overcome issues that create friction in our country from time to time.

And, the Spring of 2020 has been one of those times where we have seen the friction.  From the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing issues, to the unrest in our streets, to the questions of whose America are we living in, the Spring of 2020 has been one of great questioning about America and its ability to provide opportunity for all.

History and tradition is a big part of what America is.  Three years ago Angie and I spent the 4th of July Holiday in Bristol, Rhode Island.  It is a small town that we discovered when our son’s high school marching band participated in their 4th of July parade in 2017.  We took a long weekend, flew into Providence, Rhode Island, and spent a couple of days in and around Bristol.  We learned a lot and are so glad we visited Rhode Island.

Bristol, Rhode Island, is famous for it 4th of July Celebration.  2020 marks the 235th consecutive Bristol 4th of

July Celebration dating back to 1785 when the town celebrated the first Patriotic Excercises.  And, I’m glad that the community has found a way to celebrate, albeit a little different, during this strange year of 2020.  The large parade is cancelled but the community has announced a “vehicle procession” of about 45 minutes along the parade route.  This change, but subsequent event, will allow the the community to continue its “continuous annual” celebration motto.

That, in itself, shows a spirit of American ingenuity!

I would suggest that in the future if you ever have an opportunity, the Bristol 4th of July celebration should be on your bucket list.  Here is the official Bristol web-site and here is the Bristol 4th of July Wikipedia page for your reference.

Related 4th of July trivia note:  My father’s attorney in our small community of Alexandria, Minnesota, was a stately gentleman named Joe Thornton.  In the small community that I grew up in I had the opportunity to get to know Mr. Thornton as a friend of my father.  Like myself, Mr. Thornton loved history and brought me to his office to see original letters from the 18th century that he had collected from a man named Matthew Thornton.  As attorney Thornton described to me, Matthew Thornton was his great-great-great-great grand uncle. ( I always remember Mr. Thornton tell me, “4 greats and a grand”!!)

If you look at the American Declaration of Independence you will see that Mr. John Hancock was the first signer in big, bold, letters.  What most people don’t know is that Matthew Thornton was the last signer of the document. . . .and that he did not sign the document until four months after every body else. . . . . .he believed in the movement and, simply, did not want to be left off the document.  My knowledge of Matthew Thornton moved me to purchase a book on the lives of the signers of that great American document.  Here is a small excerpt on what is said of Matthew Thornton:

Matthew Thornton (1714-1803).  An advocate of colonists’ rights from the middle of the century on, he was appointed a delegate to the Continental Congress in September 1776, and was allowed to sign the Declaration of Independence when he took his seat in November, four months after its publication.  Thornton left Congress in 1778 and resumed his duties as a judge of of the New Hampshire Superior Court.  He resigned in 1782. 

Finally — I once had the opportunity to be in attendance when former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia described America, its Declaration of Independence, and its Constitution.  I remember him saying “that the Constitution is a ‘living and breathing’ document that allows America to move forward as we become more enlightened.

It was that document that allowed for emancipation of slaves, women’s voting rights, the civil rights act, equal rights, gender equity, marriage rights, and most recently, in a case that involved the funeral business, transgender rights as we, as a nation, became more enlightened.  Justice Scalia pointed out the wisdom of our founders in creating a document like this – that allows change – when appropriate.

So, it has been a rough Spring. . .a Spring when we have seen discontent, a Spring when not all has went right, and a Spring when funeral directors and funeral businesses and their suppliers are certainly doing their part for America. . . however, America will overcome these issues. . . and we will continue to be a nation where “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Have a Great 4th of July and May God Bless America!

Here is a YouTube video of Johnny Cash performing his song, “Ragged Old Flag”.

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