Fingers on this July Fourth two thousand seven day are pressing and clicking on the plastic keys of my keyboard here on a perfect sunny summer morning in Michigan. There is a slight kiss of windy chill in the air. My spoiled and loved beagle is gently snoozing on one couch. Gentle wife is taking a nap on the other one.

We recently went to see a great pre July Fourth two thousand seven show. The great and well behaved crowd had a merry old time.

The anticipation of the great fire works show was rife in the air hours before the sun went down. The happy and excited chattering energy of the sea of people crowd made us all feel very happy to be alive and together there.

The fire works were popping and bursting on the Detroit River that night in all their colorful and noisy glory. There were red, green, yellow and blue fountain, flower and mushroom brilliant light displays shooting in many directions all over the cloudy and lightly rainy night sky.

You could feel the vibrations from the rockets bursting in air through your seat on the grassy hill. The tangy smell of gun powder was heavy in the air we breathed.

Today we will barbecue some chicken and steaks on the grille outside. The smell of the flaming charcoal briquettes coming through and cooking them is always a great thrill as the steam and flames dance into the clear warm summer air.

We will gloriously over eat and drink and then wipe our faces clean with paper napkins from the Fourth of July feast. We will listen to the Detroit Tigers baseball team on the radio. This could be the day we get a game closer to the World Series again.

This is all so warm and pleasant and beautiful. It all seems so easy.

Next we will put some flags up around the house and raise a toast to those who have made this all possible. To those who are with God now we say thank you, thank you, thank you! Every last one of you men, women and children who are making this all possible today.

Starting with the first shot of the American Revolution over a million men, women and children have given up their very lives and existence in the USA so we can do this. Almost all of them I will never know because there has been so much that has happened over the last two hundred plus years.

258,000 men perished during the American Civil War alone so we Americans of Color can be free. Sometimes when I am feeling sorry for myself and even anger at others it is easy to forget so many cared about someone like me that they will never know to give their last full measure of devotion to so we can be free.

To you my beautiful fellow Americans of years past and present I say again with tears in my eyes, thank you, thank you, thank you for sacrificing so I can be free. God bless You, God Bless America.