“Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a Freeman, contending for liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on Earth”
George Washington
“You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I will repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the pains to preserve it.”
John Adams
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands that feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
Samuel Adams
“And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms…The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”
Thomas Jefferson
And in those words, was a beginning. The birth of the greatest nation ever to grace God’s green globe.
“I am apt to believe that (Independence Day) will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival”
John Adams
How will you celebrate the supreme and eternal sacrifice made by so many? I’ll probably spend some time on my boat.
I can’t describe the feeling I always have when I use the keycard to enter the captain’s private parking lot at Belmont harbor. It’s a feeling of nirvana the second you realize you are on vacation and away from it all. Rows of shiny power and sail boats sway in the gentle breezes while a hawk soars on the gentle afternoon updrafts. As I step onto the dock, minnows dart in and out of the weeds in the shallows as a salmon eyes them hungrily.
My sailboat is a single masted sloop with a black hull, a white deck, and teak accents. She is old, beautifully old. She has character. Getting her ready for a sail is something that I have done countless times. Once I release the lines and start the engine, I back her out of the slip.
As I motor her slowly out of the harbor, I pass dozens of other docks, with hundreds of other boats, and countless other crews. But you need to know something about sailors. Our love of the water is only surpassed by the love of our boats. Even though the other boats are newer and nicer by other standards, I proudly strut my sweetheart past the others. There’s nothing like taking your favorite girl out for a spin. Once I pass the gas dock and the yacht club, I’m there.
I’m out on Lake Michigan.
The sun reflects off of the azure waves stretching out onto the horizon. Once I motor out a bit, I turn into the wind, raise my sails, and set a course due east. Normally I’ll go out five or six miles, past the crib. I go out further than anyone else, past the hustle of the city and the cares of the day.
For there, sailing alone where the water meets the horizon, there I am truly free. There I can calm my mind and center my soul. There I can appreciate what it is to be free.
There I truly feel American.
For only here in our great Land of Liberty, could a half breed Indian Boy from Uptown be able to work hard, improve his circumstances, and become a trusted advisor serving all of you. This is not the old world. The basis of America is not a religion or an ethnic background. It is the ability to come from humble beginnings and go on to do great things.
The American Dream is not dead. It is the very essence of Entrepreneuring.
However you choose to celebrate our Independence Day, I pray that you will also feel that freedom and realize that dream. When you do please also realize that you, unlike many others, have the choice to celebrate as you wish.
Because of the sacrifices made by our Founding Fathers and so many others, you have that freedom.
Let me leave you with this one thought…
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.”
Benjamin Franklin
May God bless you and yours, now and always. I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Chris Amundson
President
Accounting Solutions Ltd.
773-267-7500
www.AccountingSolutionsLtd.com
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE AND LEGAL DISCLAIMER. The information contained in this email message, including any attachments, is legally privileged and confidential and intended only for the addressee(s). If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any reading, use, or dissemination of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately and delete this message from your system.
Although this email and any attachments are believed to be free of any virus or other defect which may affect any computer system into which it is received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure it is virus free. Accounting Solutions Ltd. accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage arising from receipt and use of this email.
Note that the only professional services provided by Accounting Solutions Ltd. are those specified in a written communication from our office detailing the scope of services to be rendered and the terms and conditions applicable to the engagement.
773-267-7500
chris@accountingsolutionsltd.com
