This coming Monday is Independence Day, capping off a long weekend but also providing all of us time to enjoy our freedoms.

Some of those freedoms many will celebrate this weekend are: freedom to go to church and worship in the manner they choose; reading the newspaper and watching TV news; attending barbecues, baseball games, political rallies and other public assemblies; and posting opinions and other expressions online.

While much of this is seemingly taken for granted by Americans, there are several countries who are world powers that have limited those same freedoms.

For all that is wrong and right with the United States, the fact is that our union of states—now 50 in number—are marking 235 years of American freedom.

What makes this the best country in the world is that we extend those freedoms and rights to everyone who lives here, albeit with some limitations for non-citizens.

“Giving me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free …” reads part of the poem mounted inside the Statue of Liberty in New York City.

As you celebrate the Fourth of July, take a second to be thankful for all that America has been blessed with; and pray for the leaders, the soldiers and the citizens who work to preserve our freedoms.