Tales From the Crib: Celebrating the Fourth of July Better

Monday, July 03, 2006

Celebrating the Fourth of July Better

When it comes to holidays like Christmas and Easter, I am very aware of the commercialization that surrounds them. Because of this, I make an extra effort to strip away that commercialism (at least for a time) and focus on the real meaning of the holiday. It didn’t strike me until I was sitting in church on Sunday that The Fourth of July has fallen into the very same trap where it’s original meaning has become overshadowed by BBQ’s, Fireworks and Old Navy Flag Tees.

While a few peoples' testimonies had patriotic themes, what struck me most, was standing and singing our national anthem for the opening hymn. We all know the first verse very well, but rarely do we get the opportunity to get to the last verse:

I was taken back at the emotion that came bubbling up from within my body and escaped as tears from my eyes and a crack in my voice. Fourth of July is a time to reflect upon the history of America and offer a prayer of thanks for this country which was originally built by people who knew God, sought after his guidance and acknowledged His hand.

This fourth of July, I hope to place more focus on the birth of this country and better “praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.”

Here are a few of my ideas on how I might accomplish this:

Make a collection of patriotic music and play it leading up to the 4th and throughout the day. This list includes some non-traditional "patriotic" songs to add to the ipod.
Take time to read through the Declaration of Independence and Washington's First Inaugural Address.
Take a refresher course on flag etiquette.
I would love to find a book to read to Princess (almost 4) about the birth of America or about one of the founding fathers. Any suggestions?
Get the hardware needed to be able to fly the American Flag (I already own) outside my home. And fly it with a spirit of thanksgiving.

I found an article on Deseret Book that gave lots more ideas. Here are synopses of my favorites (with added links):

Read the words to the Star Spangled Banner aloud and learn about it’s history as our National Anthem.
Invite a veteran to your home to share his/her unique feelings about America.
Have a birthday party for America where your “gifts” are goals to be a better citizen or ways to make the country a better place.

I guess the reality is that these ideas are a little late in coming this year and I probably won't get around to doing all I want (I still have to grocery shop for the bbq, clean the house for our guests and figure out where is the best place to watch the local fireworks) but at least I'll be ahead of the game for next year.

I would love to hear any other ideas of bringing meaning back into Fourth of July celebrations.

14 Comments:

I really like your ideas, especially about listening to patriotic music and singing all the versus. My family likes to sing patriot songs while we wait for fireworks to start, but we end up mushing up all the words and singing "la la" through half the verses. So this year I'm trying to compile a small songbook with words to several patriotic songs (care of a Google search) to take along with us. We'll see if I finish it in time!
posted by Brittany at 7/03/2006 12:40:00 AM
Carrie, i'm glad to know I'm not the only who cried while singing the national anthem on Sunday. My patriotism always surprises me, mostly because it arose later in my life. (Um, thanks 9/11?)

I love your ideas, i am sure I will be looking at this post next June (along with many other readers!) and thanking you for pulling together all these resources and ideas.
posted by marian at 7/03/2006 06:11:00 AM
I am looking forward to reading over all the links. Yesterday amid the madness and tantrums of my baby I did have a moment when I was touched, and I think this year it was because I know we are at war, and the effect that is having on so many families. And I am just grateful that the plan of having CHOICE is not only God's plan but our country's plan as well. And I don't know if we would know that if it weren't for the freedoms we have here.

Ps I didn't get my invitation to the BBQ at your house?
posted by Kage at 7/03/2006 07:54:00 AM
The national anthem always make me tear up, but the song that really did me in was "My Country Tis of Thee". Specifically the last 2 verses:
"Let music swell the breeze,
and ring from all the trees sweet freedom's song;
let mortal tongues awake;
let all that breathe partake;
let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.
Our fathers' God, to thee,
author of liberty, to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom's holy light;
protect us by thy might, great God, our King."
It reminds me that I love my country for it's freedom and the ideals it was founded upon, regardless of hiccups in the actual government. Not everyone gets to have what we do, but we try to make the world a place where we "let ALL who breathe partake". The 4th isn't JUST about us, it's about everyone, everywhere getting the opportunity to have freedoms we take for granted. What is real freedom? I think that's a good subject for discussion with the family.
(And I like the flag tees, they're cheap)
posted by Mo at 7/03/2006 08:56:00 AM
I much prefer My Country Tis of Thee to the national anthem. We also sang The SSBanner in church yesterday, but I don't remember having sung it at church before (except for an Eagle Court).

I had conflicted feelings when singing yesterday. I do love the idea that this land was preserved by God as a place for freedoms to develop that didn't exist elsewhere. And I believe that divine inspiration and help were a large part of our country's independence.

But, when singing yesterday, the thing that made me squirm in my seat was thinking about the current context of our country. While I believe that "our cause was just" for war in times past, I don't necessarily think that is the case now. The fact we have been privy to God's help before doesn't mean that we can justify modern-day engagements with rhetoric that God supports us, as the current administration has done.

Anyway, great ideas Carrie. I love this country and am grateful to have time to reflect on its blessings for me and my family and like it's a great time to teach kids its history.
posted by Belle at 7/03/2006 10:06:00 AM
Hi Todd,

We agree, then, that patriotism does not suggest a perfect country or perfect actors representing the country. I would also suggest that a patriot need not profess or believe that a country is infalliable in order to have a deep and abiding love of the country and the freedoms that are enjoyed as citizens.

I consider myself to be patriotic, but I'm simply not sure that we are involved in a just cause. I don't think the two are incompatible.

And I'm glad that C brought this topic up, because it has prompted me to plan a discussion with MJ about how our country was founded.

Have a great holiday and bbq tomorrow.
posted by Belle at 7/03/2006 04:22:00 PM
Well I guess if you want to take God's role out of the formation of this country, then singing the National Anthem at a ballgame instead of at church (on Independence Day) does seem more appropriate.
posted by Anonymous at 7/04/2006 12:10:00 PM
I was wondering if non-English versions of the hymn book contain other national anthems. Only if they too believe that they had divine help in establishing their country and their anthem references this? And do British, Austrailian, Irish, etc members of the church use the same version of the hymn book that we do?

Just curious if anyone knows...
posted by Belle at 7/04/2006 05:49:00 PM
I know this thread has gone to a place where Todd and Michelle both know I am not smart enough to go....but I thought I would just add a few things that happened yesterday through the improvisation of my 4-year-old.

We played I SPY of red white and blue. It was not limited to flags, we would try to find objects of those colors that happened to be next to each other. If I had known what the colors represented, that would have been a good opportunity to explain. My plan was a little foiled when the Italians started their world cup celebration and suddenly my daughter saw red, white and GREEN and wanted to know if she was Italian.

Katie provided her with a star to paint red, white and blue too.

We also all dressed in the patriotic colors.

AS I am writing this, I realize this might be the obvious commercialism that Carrie is trying to avoid...but for us it really made for a patriotic conversation. We also happened to be reading about Korihor arriving in the BOM and there were some great scriptures about freedom of religion that we tied into America's birthday!
posted by Kage at 7/05/2006 05:43:00 AM
Thanks Carrie for posting this. My husband and I had the same feelings as we sang the anthem in Sacrament Meeting (fyi - we sang it as the closing hymn). I feel very blessed to live in this country and appreciate your thoughts on how to celebrate it better and help our kids understand what the 4th of July means.
posted by Melissa at 7/05/2006 08:55:00 AM
haha. I laughed a lot at Todd's remark about it not being politically correct about patriotism, so true.

Nonetheless I too have always felt a little weird singing the national anthem in Sacrament Meeting (I could definately bend for the ending song as long as it was on topic and along with the spirit of the talks). Although I understand that mormonism is the quintessential "American" religion, I feel that it is more than that and would love to focus more on unity than the sometimes elitist patriotism sometimes given off in 4th of July/Memorial Day sacrament meetings. Just my opinion.

I too have wondered about the Star Spangled Banner and other american patriotic hymns being in other countries hymnbooks. I do know it is is New Zealand's hymnal - I asked my husband. Anyone know if our national songs are in other hymnals?

Don't get me wrong, its not that I'm not patriotic. I was born on an army base and am a member of USAA, etc.! I do Memorial stuff day every year and really feel the spirit. I just, personally, at least in church, wish that church talks during the patriotic holidays were more focused on gratitude for living in this country than "american pride." I think its sends off a little more Christ-like spirit. My pet peeve is not mentioning Christ in sacrament talks. I once had non-members ask if we believed in Christ because when they had attended sacrament meeting the only mention of Christ was in the songs!

Just my feelings! I appreciate everyones remarks on here. I really liked Carries ideas on how to bring back the true spirit of our national holidays.
posted by tamrobot at 7/05/2006 09:19:00 AM
Thanks everyone for the great ideas and fun conversation. When I made this post, I didn't really think it would go where it has gone, but it has made for an interesting and thought-proking read.

As for a little follow-up on my Independence Day plans, it seems like they were foiled at every turn.
I made my collection of songs, downloaded them to my ipod only to have the battery give out 30 seconds into the fireworks presentation.

I went to 3 different stores searching for flag hardware with no luck. I finally had to give up because it was like 100 degrees and we were all getting cranky.

I didn't hear about any good books for Princess and didn't have time to make it to the library - because I had to go to 3 stores to find flag hardward.

I did read through the Declaration of Independence and the First Inaugural address. Some of it's sort of drab, but there are parts that are very moving and give me renewed hope in striving for a better America.

And lastly, I did review my flag etiquette. Did you know that you can fly the flag upside down as a sign of distress? And when a flag becomes worn out (beyond repair) it should be destroyed by being burned in a dignified manner?

Maybe I'll have better luck next year in accomplishing my goals. I will say that my mind was in a better place this year and by BBQ tri-tip was AWESOME!
posted by This is Carrie at 7/05/2006 11:32:00 AM
funny. i laughed out loud when i read todd's part about patriotism being politically incorrect, too.
posted by Anonymous at 7/05/2006 10:12:00 PM
I think a lot of us are trained by political correctness to be ashamed of our American heritage. We're taught a form of multiculturalism that says a clay pot made by an aborigine is as important a contribution to the world as the computer. We can't say we're great because it will hurt someone's feelings, oh no!

We have a special heritage in this nation, if for nothing more than (as Todd pointed out) the fact that the Lord prepared this nation for the restoration of his gospel. All church members who believe the BOM should realize this. Most non-American LDS I know are cool with that, but secure enough to love and appreciate their own nations or cultures as well.

And why would an immigrant come to this place if singing along with our national anthem is so darn painful?
posted by Legendary Pink Dot at 7/06/2006 08:57:00 AM

Monday, July 03, 2006

Celebrating the Fourth of July Better

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