By Charles Crenshaw
I am at our home in Earlysville, sitting in our back yard watching another day come to an end as the sun sinks in the west. I am surrounded by God’s creation and nature except for the sounds of airplanes and one very loud automobile. It has been a hot day with temperatures up in the nineties this afternoon. I am surrounded by the sounds of many birds and a dove that thinks it is going to rain. I think he is wrong this time. The horses are grazing in the lower pasture. As the sun lowers behind the Blue Ridge Mountains it is now shining up on the clouds making it a beautiful sunset. After being so hot, now it is very comfortable. I am surrounded by green, green grass with a few white clover blooms and green trees all around as far as I can see. The skies are mostly clear with a few scattered clouds in the west.
I am sitting here all peaceful with a full tummy after eating dinner with family at Michael’s Restaurant. I think of what tomorrow brings, America’s Independence Day. Two hundred and forty four years ago the colonies, with help from the French, were fighting the British for our freedom. Our soldiers were probably hungry and always in fear of being attacked. But on July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was written by Thomas Jefferson who lived only a few miles from where I am sitting. I can drive two miles and see Monticello Mountain. And now we have some wanting to destroy his statues and also statues of George Washington who was leading our Revolutionary Army into battle. There was also an Earlysville man who fought in the Battle of Yorktown, Ephraim Seamonds, Jr., my fourth great grandfather. All I can say, those who want to destroy don’t have the feeling for America and our freedom that I do.
It is getting dark, the lilies are closing for the night, the tree frogs are singing and I see lightning bugs all around as another day is closing. I am thankful I am free and can sit in our back yard and enjoy life without fear. There are many I thank who paid a price. Thank you, God, for this day.