The Fourth of July was quite the celebration all over the country. There were fireworks, face painting and American flag shorts as far as the eye could see.

I had the chance to walk around Constant’s Wharf and chat with families and spectators about the holiday.

Most people were happy to be spending the day with their family, and everyone was excited about the fireworks. Those are pretty normal responses when people are asked how the day has been or what their favorite part of the holiday is.

It was troubling when those were the same answers I got when I asked what the holiday meant to them.

The Fourth of July means spending time with family for them, or it means a large firework display over some body of water.

Only one person told me that the holiday meant freedom and that Independence Day gives him the freedom to worship God the way that he wants to.

It was the most meaningful response I got, and I think it made up for the lack of other thoughtful responses.

The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, is a holiday to celebrate America’s independence from the British Empire. Our country adopted the Declaration of Independence, and all that means is hotdogs and mediocre barbecue.

In all the fanfare, I think we, as Americans, tend to lose sight of the real reason we have the holiday.

This is the same thing that happens with St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco De Mayo. We view them as drinking holidays when there is a greater meaning to them.

Everyday people talk about how great America is and how important our freedom is, but once the day comes around to celebrate our history with gusto, it’s all about hotdogs and baseball.

I’m hoping that this time next year, people will have a different mentality and maybe remember why we have the holiday in the first place.