Independence that is a difficult word for me right now. It must have been difficult for the colonists determined to break away from Great Britain as well. If it wasn’t for their courage and determination, we would not be where we are today. What does the 4th of July mean to you? Is it just another holiday that you can spend on the lake with family and friends or do you really understand the meaning of why we have the holiday? This is the day we celebrate our independence from Great Britain from the governance that Great Britain was trying to impose on the colonists.

We eventually won our independence and have been fighting ever since to ensure our freedom is upheld. Big Bubby was a part of those fighting for our freedoms. This 4th of July will be hard without him here to thank with all the others I have close bonds with.

For me, I have always been an independent person. It is very difficult as most of my friends, coworkers and family will tell you, I don’t like to ask for help on much of anything. I like to do things for myself. Depending on others has never been easy for me to do. After losing Big Bubby, I have leaned a lot on my husband. My independence was completely shattered the day we received the call we lost my baby. I hardly get out of our apartment except to go to work. When we need things, my husband will go to the store and get what we need.

I am regaining some of that independence through the help of Krissie, our emotional support dog. She keeps me going day to day. I look forward to going home at night to see her, our other dog, and my husband. She is a bundle of energy and loves to play so my mind doesn’t drift to dark places with her in my life as much as I was drifting.

At some point, I am going to have to make the step to try to be more independent than I am now. For now, I will stay close to my family, especially my husband and my Krissie. She will get me through anything that comes my way.

To those who have fought or are still fighting for our freedom, I thank you for your service and wish you God’s Speed in your fight against our enemies. To Big Bubby’s band of brothers, love you all forever and always thank you for your time spent serving. To my husband, thank you for your time spent serving. If not for you all, we wouldn’t have the freedom to write what we want when we want to.

Happy 4th of July