US History

Watch it Sunday Night!  

I think this is one of the best shows out there right now.  If you have seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about.  It is a great way to learn basic US history and quite entertaining.  Fascinating, really.

It is so well done and I look forward to it each Sunday night.  I could do without a few of the celebrity interjections, and I'm sure there is a political slant to it.  But I like the basic overview it gives.  It is a series of 6 episodes and goes through American History from the first colonies up to the present day.   My kids were completely captivated  by the Revolutionary and Civil War episodes, especially Ethan who has an affinity for World Wars and  US Presidents.  Ethan told me about a dream he had the other night of George Washington: Ethan was fighting for him and it somehow also incorporated our Tahoe as an escape car....go figure.  Anyway, the point is, this kid really is intrigued by history and all things military.  

I never liked history growing up.  It wasn't until after I had graduated from college that I found the correlation between God and Country in the Revolutionary War.  This fascinated me.  The British Army, the most powerful army in the world at the time, being defeated by a bunch of farmers loyal to their desire for freedom.  It wasn't supposed to happen.  It never should have happened.   But it did, and God's hand was all over it.  This changed everything for me and I had a desire to learn more.  Kerry's parents are extremely patriotic and over the years it has been amazing to hear the stories that his dad has told from his time of service as the chaplin for the state of Utah in the National Guard.   I loved reading 1776 by David McCullough  because it goes into so much detail about the role of divine providence and the leaders who knew that they were called to such a time as this.  Good men. Honorable men.  Men I want my kids to know.

With everything that is going on with our country today, Kerry and I were talking about how we could study parts of the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence with our kids for family night.  It really is being diluted and I'm afraid that they are going to need to know it, far better than us, to maintain the freedoms we have in place.  We haven't been great at family nights, a little sporadic, and we could definitely be better.  But I like the idea of teaching them about God and country, freedom and agency.  I want my kids to understand what they have and all that is at stake.  And to know the sacrifices so many made on our behalf.  And to do what it takes to preserve these freedoms.