Embracing the Common Good by Barry Hughes



I enjoy this little horse as it greets me on every walk. I don’t believe it is my imagination; I’m certain that it moves around the yard from time to time, probably when the grass is mowed. Without exception, seeing the little horse makes me smile.
But on this day before the national holiday it greets me with a little flag. The celebration has begun! How could my mind not be filled with wonderful childhood memories of Independence Days past? Fireworks and hot dogs. Watermelons frigid from being submerged in wash tubs of ice overnight and sodas of every color in the rainbow. My father home from work, no matter on what day of the week the holiday fell. Scorching heat and wonderful shade offered by the magnificent trees that filled the world of my childhood.
On this day I recount with joy these priceless treasures we call memories. I am grateful for my father who served in WW II and all others across the years of our history who have answered the call to that high and hard duty. I am thankful for the opportunities I have been given to determine my own life to such a large degree. I am humbled by the responsibility that is mine to stand for the highest of our ideals and dreams, and to always expect the best of both myself as citizen and our grand land.
My little equine neighbor has given me this day the gifts of beginning my celebration, and of warm memories and a sense of civic responsibility. My prayer for my own life and for my homeland are the same: that we renew our commitment each day to be who we claim to be, though our goal seems always beyond our grasp, and that we find our fullest, unique humanity in embracing the common good.
Not a bad day’s work for a little metal horse.
Peace.

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