Note from the Associate Editorial Director: Celebrating America’s ‘Birthday’

By Melissa Varnavas

My mom made a white cake with cream cheese frosting and stuck strawberries and blueberries on top to form a flag. She made ice cream, too. She took walnuts, crushed raspberries, and chunked Hersey bars, mixing it into some store-bought vanilla. I’m not sure the Independence Day reference for the ice cream.

In my family, July 4 usually comes with birthday-type celebrations due to the close proximity of my sister’s birthday on July 3 and husband’s nephew’s birthday on July 2. For the longest time, my sister had her children convinced that their city’s fireworks display was really in honor of her special day.

Historians no doubt have a more nuanced awareness of how America came to be, understanding that true “independence” came after hard-fought battles and that such freedoms as spelled out in the Declaration of Independence must continue to be defended in an unending pursuit of those unalienable rights—life, liberty, happiness—that our forefathers deemed self-evident.

For such lofty ideals to calcify, we need only bear them out in our daily practices, being mindful of how our actions, small as they may seem, can help ensure their protection. For example, every medical record that accurately reflects the patient’s care helps preserve their continued health, ensure the physician’s public profile and professional pursuits, and allows a hospital to continue to provide care for its community.

Be that as it may, July 4 more commonly represents a day to spend honoring those blessings enumerated in the Declaration—sitting back, beach side, as the family tumbles around, grills spit with hamburger grease, and the evening rises with anticipation of fireworks and sounds of bottle rockets.

While I’m enjoying my cake and toasting my respective family members’ special days, I’ll nevertheless remember to raise a glass to all of you as well.

Cheers!

Editor’s note: Varnavas is the associate editorial director of ACDIS. Contact her at mvarnavas@acdis.org.