By CAM WARD / Guest Columnist

The Fourth of July is always a time to celebrate our great country. We are truly the land of opportunity, and home to the best people in the world.

This year’s Fourth of July had particular resonance, as it was the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought July 1-3 in 1863. While we have the Confederate War Memorial in my district, and we will always remember The Lost Cause, Gettysburg was indeed the turning point for the Civil War, but it was also a turning point for our country.

Because of that battle, we are still the United States of America, one nation, under God, indivisible, with freedom and justice for all.

Make no mistake about it, even today we have continuing challenges to our freedoms. Federal infringement into our privacy rights and the recent IRS intrusion into our freedom of speech are just a couple of examples.

There are also those who profit from division. They seek to plant the seeds of discord in your mind, and pit American against American and Alabamian against Alabamian, but I want to celebrate our similarities and not our differences.

Despite the challenges we as citizens have faced over the history of our country it is still wonderful to see the way we unite to celebrate the independence of our nation and those that made the ultimate sacrifice for it.

We all want the same thing for our country and our planet: peace, security, and to make it a better place for our children than it is for us.

That is one reason I am grateful to serve our state in the senate, and why I am optimistic for our future. At the state level we have strong leadership that works hard every day to protect our freedoms, strengthen our economy and ensure our futures.

I hope that you will join me in saying a prayer for continued leadership, strength and wisdom. I for one know that while there are true differences of opinion on the direction of our state and country, our leaders have the best outcome in mind. I hope everyone has an enjoyable month and may we always remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

Cam Ward is a state senator from Alabaster.