Dear ChellBell,
You are 83 months old today, and this is the last blog I will write to you while you are 6 years old. Today is also Independence Day, a special day to celebrate our freedom. At the ripe age of 6 years and 11 months, you know very little about freedom. Do you remember when I asked you to tell me about it? You said, “She likes to hide, she’s cute, and she meows sometimes.” And at that point, I realized you were talking about Aunt Carie’s cat, Freedom. Yes, my sweet, you definitely have a lot to learn about freedom!
Some day you’ll realize that not every six year old gets to live the way you do. Did you know that some people don’t get to go to church? And even praying to Jesus with others is against the law! Not everyone gets to choose the leaders of their country by voting, or say what’s on their mind or speak out if they don’t agree with something. Some places aren’t fair, and they don’t let people share their side of the story.
Think about how much you love going outside to play and run around with the dogs and jump rope and play on the trampoline. Now, imagine being a little girl who doesn’t get to go outside. She just has to sit inside all the time. Maybe she can look out a window and see other people playing, but she’s not allowed to go. Wouldn’t that be awful? That’s like life without freedom. It’s life without choice.
To you, life doesn’t really exist outside of about a 3 block radius of our house. And inside that 3 block radius, you think life exists, for the most part, to make you happy. But there’s a whole country out there, and our 3 block radius is just a tiny part of it. You and I, well, we’re just threads knitted together with people like us and people unlike us to make up this great place that we call home, the United States of America.
Very brave people spend their lives making sure that we are safe in America. They also help make other countries safe and aid in making other countries free, so that their six year olds can grow up to be whatever they choose and vote for who they want as their President and speak out for causes they deem important.
I don’t expect you to understand this, but I want you to have heard it. As a six-soon-to-be-seven-year-old, enjoy the fireworks, cheer at the parade, and wave your flag. Your country, your land, your home is having a birthday and should be celebrated. Even if you don’t understand all of it, though, just remember that this place is special. Like no other country. And be proud of the flag you wave.
You are special. Like no other girl. And I am proud of you. I have loved you at six and can’t wait to love you at seven.
Love, Mama
You are 83 months old today, and this is the last blog I will write to you while you are 6 years old. Today is also Independence Day, a special day to celebrate our freedom. At the ripe age of 6 years and 11 months, you know very little about freedom. Do you remember when I asked you to tell me about it? You said, “She likes to hide, she’s cute, and she meows sometimes.” And at that point, I realized you were talking about Aunt Carie’s cat, Freedom. Yes, my sweet, you definitely have a lot to learn about freedom!
Some day you’ll realize that not every six year old gets to live the way you do. Did you know that some people don’t get to go to church? And even praying to Jesus with others is against the law! Not everyone gets to choose the leaders of their country by voting, or say what’s on their mind or speak out if they don’t agree with something. Some places aren’t fair, and they don’t let people share their side of the story.
Think about how much you love going outside to play and run around with the dogs and jump rope and play on the trampoline. Now, imagine being a little girl who doesn’t get to go outside. She just has to sit inside all the time. Maybe she can look out a window and see other people playing, but she’s not allowed to go. Wouldn’t that be awful? That’s like life without freedom. It’s life without choice.
To you, life doesn’t really exist outside of about a 3 block radius of our house. And inside that 3 block radius, you think life exists, for the most part, to make you happy. But there’s a whole country out there, and our 3 block radius is just a tiny part of it. You and I, well, we’re just threads knitted together with people like us and people unlike us to make up this great place that we call home, the United States of America.
Very brave people spend their lives making sure that we are safe in America. They also help make other countries safe and aid in making other countries free, so that their six year olds can grow up to be whatever they choose and vote for who they want as their President and speak out for causes they deem important.
I don’t expect you to understand this, but I want you to have heard it. As a six-soon-to-be-seven-year-old, enjoy the fireworks, cheer at the parade, and wave your flag. Your country, your land, your home is having a birthday and should be celebrated. Even if you don’t understand all of it, though, just remember that this place is special. Like no other country. And be proud of the flag you wave.
You are special. Like no other girl. And I am proud of you. I have loved you at six and can’t wait to love you at seven.
Love, Mama
Cella, Freedom says thank you for thinking of her! Hope y'all had a fun celebration for Independence Day!
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