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Saturday, July 5, 2014

Best Wishes for all with Birthdays on July 4

I've got a special birthday to report but first a selective view of the events of the day.

As we know from elementary or high school history, the United States officially broke ties with Britain 238 years ago today. Unofficially, the separation brewed for a decade before the break. 

The fledgling nation struggled through a long war of independence, floundered under the Articles of Confederation, but eventually flourished into modern day America.  John Adams wrote to his wife on July 2, 1776 that Congress had approved a resolution to throw off the oppressive yoke of colonialism. Incidentally, Adams thought the celebration of independence should be on July 2

At any rate, King George III, on whose watch the freedom bell was rung, wrote in his diary of July 4, 1776, that nothing of significance happened today. Little did he know, right?   

It took a month for word of the Declaration of Independence to reach London.  It took four days for George Washington to get the word in New York from Philadelphia. For the year before July 4, 1776, Washington was managing the Army, ousting the British from Boston and moving down to New York.

There is another "birthday" to note.  My friend Peter Quimby received a new heart at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.  He's from the Minneapolis area but was urged by his cardio team at Abbott Northwestern Hospital to transfer to Cedars.  He waited a long time but the reward is obvious--the gift of life. I'm confident he will speedily recover and thrive. 

So best wishes to all with birthdays on July 4, starting with the United States of America and Peter Quimby for sure.