"The Prayer at Valley Forge"
There is a painting you may have seen called “The Prayer at Valley Forge” by Arnold Friberg, painted in 1976 in honor of the county’s bicentennial. It depicts a bitter cold day in the dead of winter 1777–78. The Continental Army had set up winter camp in a harshly criticized location. General Washington insisted on it because it could be easily defended.
Weary from marching, hungry, and wearing only tatters of clothing, the soldiers settled in and tried to stay warm, and alive. They had next to nothing to eat, and only a cause to help them endure. While there, over 2,500 men died. It’s said that even General Washington feared that the army would disband if something miraculous didn’t happen.
So that cold day, General George Washington took a short leave from his men, and went out into the forested area near the camp. There, this giant of a man got off his horse, knelt in the snow, and cried out to his Heavenly Father to help them. This example of humility has always been inspiring to me.
There is a painting you may have seen called “The Prayer at Valley Forge” by Arnold Friberg, painted in 1976 in honor of the county’s bicentennial. It depicts a bitter cold day in the dead of winter 1777–78. The Continental Army had set up winter camp in a harshly criticized location. General Washington insisted on it because it could be easily defended.
Weary from marching, hungry, and wearing only tatters of clothing, the soldiers settled in and tried to stay warm, and alive. They had next to nothing to eat, and only a cause to help them endure. While there, over 2,500 men died. It’s said that even General Washington feared that the army would disband if something miraculous didn’t happen.
So that cold day, General George Washington took a short leave from his men, and went out into the forested area near the camp. There, this giant of a man got off his horse, knelt in the snow, and cried out to his Heavenly Father to help them. This example of humility has always been inspiring to me.
Help was indeed given, through the gift of a quartermaster and a drill sergeant. The Continental Army emerged from Valley Forge in June of 1778 a force to be reckoned with, defeating the British at Monmouth and then at Yorktown, leading the way to independence and freedom.
I love this country. I love what these men did. I love the man, George Washington, for his humility and inspired leadership. Let us never forget the soldiers, veterans, and patriots that have bravely paved the path to independence for this country. And on this Independence Day, may we all take a moment, as Washington did, to pray for this country’s future and the blessed life and freedoms we all experience today.
God Bless America!
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3 comments:
Very nicely done. No other comments needed.
Independent of whom? We are dependent on China for our goods, we are dependent on Mexico for our labor, the middle East for our oil, many seniors are dependent on Canada for their prescription drugs, even our illegal drugs are imported. So I ask again, Independent of whom?
Outsider: Your questions sound like the rantings of a bitter liberal Democrat. I think you are confusing the words "independent" and "independence." A couple of definitions for independence are: (1) the ability to care for one's self. (2) The state of being free from the conrol or power of another. See FREEDOM 1. One for the word independent: Not dependent. They may seem the same but they're really not. In the posting by OurMoney, he was commenting on the libery we have in this country, i.e., Independence Day.
I remind you that we were guaranteed only three things in this country by our Founding Fathers....life, libery and the pursuit of happiness. We were not guaranted government health care, cheap oil, free prescription drugs, uncontrolled school boards, or cell phones.
I would like for things to be better in this country but they are so much better than anywhere else that I can live with what we have at the moment knowing that things will get better. I don't like paying $4.00 for a gallon gas and I don't like the high cost of health care. But I also don't like liberal Democrats who hate this country and who will do everything in their power to bring us down to third world status just to appease their guilt feelings.
I bet that even you enjoy a lot more "independence" than you realize. No one tells you where to shop, where to live, how to vote; how to worship or not worship or how to live your life on a daily basis. I bet that you exercise all of these with all the independence that you can muster.
Be bitter if it makes you feel good, but for godness sake, be bitter about the right things like insane property taxes; out of control government--federal-state-local-spending; inept School Boards; corrupt--federal-state-local--politicians and community leaders; and people who see government as their savior because they can't take care of themselves and make it on their own.
Despite our problems, the USA is still a pretty darn good place to live. I wouldn't trade it for any other place on God's green earth. Now smile and admit that you don't have it so bad after all! Take care.
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