Independence Day!

There were no fireworks, sparklers, or crowds of people wearing red, white and blue. There were no hamburgers, chips, or even fresh homemade ice cream. Yet, we still had the opportunity to celebrate the blessing of our country’s freedom and heritage—even if we currently live on the other side of the world. :-)


We did not want to celebrate this Independence Day alone, so we invited our fellow American neighbors to join us for a weekend picnic celebration. It was also a good opportunity for us to get to know our neighbors more as well as to meet some new ones. We filled our evening with games of cards, tennis, and swimming for the young ones. There is just something about picnics that always brings smiles and laughter.:-)

We are the only all-American family in our neighborhood (and pretty much all of Angeles City). Most of the other families are half Filipino with an American father and a Filipina mother.

Since many of the fathers that came to our neighborhood picnic had previously served in the U.S. military, Dad thoroughly enjoyed listening to some of their wartime stories and interesting situations.:-)

Although this year was different than many of our 4th of July celebrations, we enjoyed the opportunity to get to know our neighbors more, and we are very thankful for the freedom that God has given us. We hope that you also had a wonderful Independence Day as well.:-) May God bless you all!

Freedom is never free. ~Author Unknown

"The God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?" – Thomas Jefferson