Ritchville Rundown – Independence Day trivia facts
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Richville Rundown
Sheila Ward
Independence Day trivia facts
Welcome to July! Summer is flying by. Happy birthday to all the July babies, which includes me! I start a new decade this month. The older I get, old people are getting younger!
It’s hard to believe that I will be older than any of my grandparents lived to be. At the time they died, I thought they were old. As I walk in the cemetery near my house where my daddy and relatives are buried, I look at headstones and calculate the age of those I knew. I always thought they were old when they died; now I’m older than they were. The adage, you’re only as old as you feel, is true. However, some days I definitely feel every day of my age.
This Sunday we will celebrate Independence Day, the Fourth of July. This was the day in 1776 that the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. This declared independence from Great Britain and its king. So, our country is 245 years old this year.
Here are a few trivia facts that you may not know: 1. It became an unpaid federal holiday in 1870, which changed to a paid federal holiday in 1938. 2. Only John Hancock actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. 3. It was signed by 56 men from the 13 colonies. 4. Two of the signers later served as president, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. 5. Adams and Jefferson both died on the Fourth of July 1826 within hours of each other. 6. Every Fourth of July the Liberty Bell is tapped 13 times in honor of the original 13 colonies; because of the crack, it is unable to be rung anymore. So that’s your history lesson. How many did you know? I knew three of the six.
Providence had a great service Sunday with good attendance. The Ladies Bible Study on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday mornings is postponed until August. The men’s Thursday night Bible Study continues. Remember Vacation Bible School starts July 25. This is a joint effort with Providence and Sardis. So, mark your calendars.
As we celebrate this holiday, Second Corinthians 3: 17 reads, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” While Independence Day celebrates our freedom from the rule of Great Britain, God has given us a greater freedom, the freedom from sin. The release from the bondage of sin came at a great expense to God, the sacrifice of His own Son. While we will celebrate this holiday, it is small compared to the freedom we have when we confess our sins and trust in God. He will be our ultimate ruler! Thank God for sending His Son, Jesus, to free us from the slavery of sin and make us truly free.
Please be in prayer for the victims of the condo collapse in Florida and their families, as each day passes the possibility of finding survivors decreases. Also, remember the rescue workers as this must be a terrible burden on them. Continue to be in prayer for the sick in our community and to those that have lost loved ones. God knows their names and needs. Until next week, take care and be joyful!