July Council Message by Lynda Roesch
July is the busiest month of the year for the City of Montgomery. The City usually celebrates July 4th with a parade and a concert in Montgomery Park on July 3rd. Because all of these events involve audiences numbering in the thousands, we have been forced to reimagine the celebrations. We are planning a virtual concert for July 3rd to be streamed and a reverse parade for Independence Day. Hopefully, the virtual concert will be viewed by many, even those outside of Montgomery, without any weather issues.
During the past three months, we all have experienced dramatic changes in our lives that required some measure of sacrifice. Some of the sacrifices are small, but some are quite large and difficult. We can reflect on the sacrifices made by our forefathers for our country. Most of us will admit that we have lived fairly sheltered lives. There were certainly difficult and challenging times, but overall, and through it all, we recognize that we have been blessed, blessed to live in a country that values freedom and democracy.
When we look back over the past nearly 250 years of this country, we realize that previous generations gave much to found and preserve the ideals of democracy and freedom on which our country is built. The closing to the Declaration of Independence notes that our founders pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. There were those individuals who fought on the fields of Gettysburg so that a “government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from this earth.” Likewise, in World Wars I and II, this country stepped up to defend the same principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. We remember just how much blood and sacrifice has preceded us so that we can live the way we do. When we consider the changes that disrupt our lives today, they seem to pale in comparison to the sacrifices made by our ancestors. It is worth keeping today’s challenges in perspective, and understanding there is indeed a larger picture. Those who went before us endured much more, and we owe them our respect and gratitude.