COUNSELOR'S CORNER: Freedom

By Fred Cavaiani July 4th is Independence Day for all Americans. We celebrate freedom. Originally it was a freedom from being controlled by another country who had owned us. Today it is a cherished remembrance that we live in freedom in the United States. Thank God for being an American. Here in this marvelous and beautiful United States we have the freedom to live. Freedom to believe. Freedom to work. Freedom to believe in God. Freedom to practice a religion. Freedom to have as many children as we wish. Freedom to make mistakes. Freedom to become successful. Freedom to become rich. Freedom to become poor. Freedom to travel anywhere. Freedom to marry. Freedom to love and be loved. Freedom to drive on the road. Freedom to have a family. Freedom to not have a family. Freedom to be spiritual and profess this choice. Freedom to profess my choice of religion. Freedom to be an atheist or an agnostic. Freedom to agree and freedom to disagree. Freedom to choose representatives in Congress. Freedom to remove representatives in Congress by not voting for them. Freedom to go to a ball game. Freedom to make money. Freedom to save money. Freedom to buy food. Freedom to laugh and freedom to cry. Freedom to speak out in joy and freedom to be silent in sadness. Freedom to sing and freedom to talk openly. Freedom to have friends and freedom to not have friends. Freedom to marry and freedom to divorce. Freedom to be Catholic and freedom to be Protestant. Freedom to be Muslim and freedom to be Hindu. Freedom to be African- American and freedom to be Italian-American. Freedom to be a Democrat and freedom to be a Republican and freedom to be an Independent. Freedom to go to college and freedom not to go to college. Freedom to be a physician and freedom to work on the line. Freedom to join the Armed Forces and freedom not to join the Armed Forces. Freedom to love our neighbor and freedom to not love our neighbor. Freedom to wish good to others and freedom to not wish good for others. Freedom to see the good in others and freedom to see the worst in others. Freedom to say kind and loving words and freedom to say painful and hurting words. Freedom to be mature and freedom to be immature. Freedom to be good and freedom to be immature. Freedom to condemn Democrats and freedom to condemn Republicans. Freedom to drive on the roads through the whole United Sates. Freedom to eat at any restaurant and freedom to eat at home. Freedom to be a bully in words and freedom to be kind and loving in words. Freedom to be like Glenn Beck and Freedom to be like Barak Obama. We are so fortunate to live in freedom. We have the freedom to be free in our thoughts, words and actions. Internally and externally we are the most free and independent community in the world. We have such glorious freedoms to be born, to live and to bring more love into the world. The air is free. The sun is free. The wind is free. Nature is free. God is free. But most of all our country was founded on allowing each citizen to be free. We have struggled over the years with allowing each citizen to have personal freedom but we keep getting better at extending this wonderful sense of freedom to every nation, race, creed and sexual orientation. July 4th helps us cherish what is good about us and what is so very good about our country. To live in freedom gives us the opportunity to live in love. Gratitude for our freedom frees us from our selfishness. July 4th teaches us how much we have and how much so many people before us have given us. July 4th teaches us to bring freedom to the world by giving to others what has been given to us the Freedom to be free. ---------------- Fred Cavaiani is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Psychologist with a private practice in Troy. He is the founder of Marriage Growth Center, a consultant for the Detroit Medical Center, and Henry Ford Medical Center. He conducts numerous programs for groups throughout Southeastern Michigan. He can be reached at (248)362-3340. His e-mail address is: Fredcavi@yahoo.com and his website is fredthecounselor.com. Published: Wed, Jul 6, 2011