07.04.08
Dawn of a New Era
Hey, everyone!
Dawna and I are sitting outside under the awning, watching a beautiful
new day unfold. It’s July 4th, and with apologies to our friends across
the pond in England, today celebrates the 232nd birthday of the USA.
I made eleven trips out of the the country last year alone, as well as
many more through the years; I’m well aware of the anti-USA rhetoric
in many countries. It’s not new, and, I suppose, tied to some degree
to the fact that we’re the world’s last remaining superpower, for now,
at least. But, I always pause on this holiday to give thanks that I live
in this great country. We may have gotten our start in rebellion, just
as another grand country - Australia - began as a penal colony. The
passing of decades tends to blur much of our beginnings, after all. I
appreciate this country for a multitude of reasons. Here are a few:
In the last century, we finally entered two wars “to end all war”. Our
brave men and women went to fight in lands far away. Many died on
foreign soil, and their remains are buried there. Many of the parents
of those soldiers never got to see their graves. I know (or knew) a
few of those parents, and their sacrifice was enormous. Our nation
hadn’t been attacked, but our allies had been. Stable democracies
and monarchies were being threatened, and the US went to help in
their preservation. And frankly, regardless of personal animosities, I
think that’s one of the things that characterizes my nation’s history.
I respect that. We’ve gone abroad to help nations remain nations
that today, claim to despise us. We send billions of taxpayer’s dol-
lars each year to nations that consider us enemies. We do so from a
position of knowing that regardless of whatever we send, those who
receive the funds won’t change their opinion of us. We also “loan”
untold sums to countries around the world, and continue to do so
despite the fact that supposedly only two have ever bothered to
repay the loans. We stand united in our support of Israel. And yet,
when our nation was attacked on 9/11, and we’ve finally fought
our own battles in Iraq and Afghanistan, the world claims to hate
us, and our current President. Honestly, I don’t understand it for
a moment. But, it doesn’t bother me very much…very little that
we’ve tried has worked anyway, as regards world opinion. Today,
I give thanks for my country. God has blessed us richly, and no
matter where my travels have taken me, I’m always happy - and
proud - to come back home.
On a personal level, God has also blessed me in Dawna, in ways
that are too numerous for an essay like this. Alan Jr. has moved
back home, at least for the summer. When Devin’s lease runs out
at the end of this month, he’ll also be moving home. Shannon is
at the house most days when she’s finished work, and to watch
my kids interacting with Dawna is amazing to me. She’s already
filling our lives with amazing love, humor, wisdom, and grace. She
impresses everyone wherever we travel, and it’s just no wonder.
We purchased a pre-owned motor coach for our travels. When I
finish this blog, I’ll put a link at the bottom to show you a photo
of it. For you who RV, it’s a Fleetwood Discovery, 38′ long. Built
on a Freightliner XL chassis, it has a rear Cummins diesel engine
and a 6-speed Allison World transmission. Yes, diesel fuel isn’t
exactly cheap these days, but that enabled us to buy the coach
for a whole lot less than we’d have been able to, had diesel fuel
been as reasonable as it was two years ago. We’re averaging
all of 10.6 mpg with it in the first 2500 miles of travel. Folks who
know say that’s wonderful for a coach that weighs over 13 tons.
Having almost every comfort of home as we travel is a real joy.
We won’t take it on every trip, of course, but we did the math;
and with airline travel also rising dramatically in cost, buying two
tickets is often a lot more expensive than driving this rig. It is a
dawn of a new era for us, and we’re really loving it.
Life is good again. So good. So many of you prayed this for me,
as so many of Dawna’s friends prayed the same for her. We both
thank you - more than words can express. We’re together at a
magnificent RV campground in North Carolina, overlooking a lake
with geese and ducks. Soon I’ll head back inside and turn on the
satellite TV and catch up on some news. We’re relaxing, and just
loving being together in our little home away from home.
To all of our fellow Americans, Happy Independence Day. My hope
is that all of us who are Christians - in every country - pause this
day to give thanks to our God for our ultimate independence, born
of enormous pain, when our Savior purchased our eternal redemp-
tion on Golgotha. My dear friend Neil Enloe said it best, in his song
The Statue of Liberty. This song garnered him two Dove awards.
In New York harbor, stands a lady,
With her torch raised to the sky.
And all who see her, know she stands for
Liberty for you and me.
I’m so proud to be called an American.
To be named with the brave and the free.
I will honor the flag and our trust in God,
And the Statue of Liberty.
On lonely Golgotha, stood a cross,
With my Lord raised to the sky.
And all who kneel there live forever,
As all the saved can testify.
I’m so glad to be called a Christian!
To be named with the ransomed and whole.
As the statue liberates the citizen,
So the cross liberates the soul.
Yes the cross is my statue of liberty.
It was there that my soul was set free.
Unashamed I’ll proclaim that old rugged cross
Is my statue of liberty!
Blessings, my friends…
Alan and Dawna
