Behind the curtain.

As I sit here on the Fourth of July night listening to the wonderful racket outside, I can't help but think of freedom. We skip over to the firework tent and plop down our money for some sparkly, noisy goodies, but rarely do were pause to remember the struggles and sacrifices made by the founders of this great nation.

The freedoms that we enjoy were their dream. Worth dying for. Worth killing for. I don't think we fully grasp that anymore.

In seven days I'll be headed behind the iron curtain. I'm old enough to remember that term, are you? As a young girl the world behind the iron curtain was mysterious, colorless and dangerous, the subject of many an action packed spy movie. The evil empire. A godless land. A place where humanity had no value. A place where the rights of man were determined by a centralized government.

OK, I'm aware that the iron curtain fell many years ago. It still haunts me though. How much more does it haunt the people that lived under the cruel socialist system?

I'm just so thankful tonight. Thankful for our freedoms. Thankful for the opportunity to save two boys from a life of incarceration. I just can't believe I'm going behind the curtain to do it.