We are all aware of this big birthday that America is celebrating today. Having been born and raised 30 miles from Philadelphia, with a mom and grandparents from the city, I have been brought up with the birth of this nation imbedded in me. I would spend a few weeks every summer at my nana’s in the Olney section of Philly; we would take a SEPTA bus downtown to explore the popular tourist attractions, over time moving on to the more obscure.
In 1976, when America marked 200 years with months of Bicentennial festivities, I spent most of June, July and August with my nana. I could not get enough and this inherent zeal still beats within me, like a Patriot’s drum before battle.
This fervent interest has significantly increased in recent years as my husband and I searched for a Patriot in my lineage. And found one. (Click here for the first story in the series about the quest.) I am now an official, certified Daughter of the American Revolution. As much as I am proud of the role my 5x great-grandfather, Brigadier General Augustine Willett, played in the Fight For Independence, I believe that I have always been a child of this Revolution. I felt it in my DNA long before saliva collection and internet family trees were a thought, let alone common genealogy tools.
The birthday cake shown above the title of this story is made of ingredients I have assembled, the Patriots I have explored and the places I have been privileged to visit relating to the American Revolution. All of us who call these United States of America home belong to her, and she to us. How we choose to cultivate this relationship is one of countless freedoms that were afforded to us by the actions taken 250 years ago.
It’s never too late to bake your own cake.
Happy Birthday, America!
May God Bless You And Keep You.
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