Happy Birthday, America

Happy Fourth of July everyone. We're celebrating in traditional fashion -- a picnic. We usually go to Jay and Carolyn's (son and daughter-in-law) but this year the invitation was slow in coming. So I bought hot dogs, buns, drinks, chips and fixin's for strawberry shortcake and invited us over. They could have said "no" but I didn't make it easy. Tonight we will watch the great fireworks show -- hauling lawn chairs and bug spray. The Fourth has been a bit odd for me the last few years. I've always been a big flag-waver but, frankly, I haven't been that proud lately. America's still the greatest country in the world because it has such wonderful people but that hasn't been so noticeable to others around the world.

I love the hymn "This Is My Song."
The words are by Lloyd Stone (vs. 1 and 2) and Georgia Harkness (3) and it's sung to the tune "Finlandia." This is my prayer for today:

This is my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is; here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
But other hearts in other lands are beating with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean, and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover, and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations, a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my prayer, O Ruler of all nations: let thy reign come; on earth thy will be done.
In peace may all earth's people draw together, and hearts united learn to live as one.
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations; myself I give thee; let thy will be done.