Freedom. That’s kind of a loaded word. It means a lot of things to a lot of people. For me it means I am allowed by my government to practice whatever religion I want. It means the government can’t tell me how to live my life. It means I can say or write about whatever I want and post it on the internet. It means I can start my own business and charge whatever I want for my goods. It means I can work and make money and use that money on whatever I please.

But freedom can mean so many other things. It means traveling over seas, not for vacation, not to see family, but to fight against other people. It means to watch people die in the name of our country. It means to put yourself in harms way and be trained to sacrifice yourself if it’s needed.

To other’s, like my good friend Canon who passed away last week, it means to protect other citizens. I never thought much about police officers and firefighters serving our country. Yes they are heroes and I knew that. But in my mind the were never even on the same playing field as soldiers until I went to Canon’s funeral. And I know they are not the same at all, but cops put their lives on the line almost daily to protect the citizens of this country just like military men and women do.

If you are a police officer, fire fighter, or soldier, thank you! It’s because of you, we are free.

I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend celebrating our country and it’s freedoms! Don’t forget to be thankful you live here in the land of the free and the home of the brave. And never forget the sacrifices of those who have served.