Grief Is a Form of Patriotism, Too: A Fourth of July Reflection.

Today, some of us won’t be waving flags or watching fireworks.

Not because we hate our country, but because we love it too much to pretend everything is fine.

Grief is a form of patriotism, too.

Lament is an honest form of love.

When we see the powerful wield their influence to harm the poor, when policies are passed that will strip people of healthcare, housing, safety, and dignity, when cruelty is packaged as strength and injustice paraded as victory, our hearts break. And that heartbreak is holy.

We mourn because we believe this country can be better.

We lament because we believe the words “liberty and justice for all” should mean something.

We grieve not because we’ve given up,

but because we still care.

True patriotism isn’t celebration without conscience.

It’s holding our nation accountable to its highest ideals. It’s refusing to settle for freedom for the few while millions are pushed aside, unheard, and unseen.

It’s praying, protesting, speaking, and serving

until justice is no longer the exception, but the norm.

So if today you feel more like weeping than cheering, you are not alone.

There is room at the table of hope for tears, too.

Because our grief is rooted in love.

Because we still believe in a freedom that includes everyone.

And that is its own kind of celebration.