A Personal Reflection on the Eve of Independence Day

As fireworks begin to light up the sky and we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July, I find myself in a quiet, reflective place. This holiday has always meant something special to me—freedom, unity, and the promise of a better tomorrow. But this year, it feels different. Heavier. More complicated.

I grew up deeply rooted in conservative Republican values. I wasn’t just a casual voter—I was all in. I believed we were a Christian nation, guided by moral clarity and a commitment to the rule of law. I believed that character mattered in our leaders, that capitalism—when left to flourish—could lift everyone. I believed these things so strongly that I gave my time, my energy, and my heart to the cause. I worked on campaigns. I went through training programs. I was, for a time, a poster boy for the Religious Right.

But over the years, something shifted. And I’ve come to realize—I didn’t walk away from the party. The party walked away from me. It didn’t just drift; it betrayed the very values I was taught to hold sacred.

And it hurts.

It hurts because I believed that being a Christian meant caring for the poor, the oppressed, the immigrant. I believed that every person—regardless of race, background, or status—deserved dignity and respect. I believed that our faith should lead us to compassion, not condemnation.

Today, I look at the political landscape and I barely recognize it. The ideals I once fought for have been replaced by something colder, harsher, more cynical. And while I could stay silent, I can’t. Because silence, too, is a choice.

This isn’t about bitterness. It’s about grief. And maybe, just maybe, about hope.

Hope that we can still find our way back to each other. Hope that we can rediscover the values that once united us—kindness, integrity, humility. Hope that we can build something better, not by shouting louder, but by listening more deeply.

This Independence Day, I’m not waving a flag out of pride. I’m holding it close out of longing—for the country I believed we could be, and still might become.