A lot of preparation goes into Independence Day events. Plans to spend time with family and friends are at the forefront of our minds. Lots of food and fireworks are a must.

Selma, Valley Grande and other cities have worked hard to plan events that do more than give people a place to go or enjoy the calorically-rich foods. They’ve created a &8220;family reunion-type atmosphere.&8221;

All the stresses and strains of the every-day hustle and bustle are forgotten with the sharing of barbeque, snow cones and homemade ice cream.

The spark of fireworks follow with colorful glows that put us in a trance-like state and we share oohs, ahhs, smiles and laughter with our friends, our families and our neighbors.

We feel free to leave our homes to come to the park or pull a chair out on the lawn to watch the fireworks. That sense of security is guarded by our men and women in uniform. Most of whom were not able to be home with family, friends and neighbors. Some have a brief celebration where they are, but long for a celebration on home soil.

As always, we salute those who make sacrifices to guard our freedom.

In his famous &8220;I Have a Dream&8221; speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, &8220;When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands …&8221;

As we celebrate our independence, and thereafter, let us not forget the feel of the atmosphere the Fourth brings about. Let’s carry that in our everyday lives.

Don’t just let freedom ring on the Fourth.

Let freedom ring always.