” The first of earthly blessings, independence.”
-Edward Gibbon (1737-1794)

Since the 4th of July, Independence Day in the U.S., is this week, I thought we’d look at the topic of independence. It’s a big word, and one that held a lot of meaning for our forefathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence 227 years ago. It seems like a long time ago, but then it’s so relatively recent compared with some of these quotes we read here, some dating back thousands of years. I remember when our country celebrated it’s bicentennial in 1976. In my hometown, Palo Alto, California, all the fire hydrants were painted red, white and blue to celebrate! I was just a little kid then, so I don’t think I really understood the significance of that day. But I do now. Independence is indeed a blessing.
-Lissa Coffey