Chip loved and was grateful for freedom

As I approached the venue for the Freedom Festival yesterday, I could hear the pop-pop-pop of the Bull Run Shooting range in the distance. Chip took me on a date to the range early on in our relationship and it was the first time I shot skeet (Was he testing me to see if I had the mindset to put my God-given right to firearms into practice?). On that date, he taught me so much about guns (e.g., etiquette, stance, eye dominance, trigger pull, etc) and I taught him it was OK to laugh at oneself when mistakes are made (when no one’s in danger, of course). On that date, I enjoyed watching how confident he was while shooting and aiming and how he knew so much about guns. That date, I fell a little bit more “in like” with him.

We shot skeet several more times together at Bull Run as well as at The Homestead in Virginia, and went shooting at indoor ranges countless times. I never got any better at shooting skeet and became slightly better at target practice over time (with his guidance), but I know for certain that each shooting experience brought me closer towards loving him as much as I am humanly able to love in a romantic relationship. For me, there was just something about Chip and his appreciation of and use of guns that made the butterflies in my stomach take flight.

While I continued my long walk from where I parked the truck to the entrance to the venue, I thought about what the continued gun fire from the shooting center meant. The popping of shots meant free individuals were putting their God-given rights into action. The sounds described freedom as American citizens improved their ability to handle a gun and the chance to protect one’s loved ones or feed one’s family, if necessary. Sadly, the gun fire and pops also stirred up the grief by reminding me that Chip is no longer with me to take those shots at clay pigeons, targets or whatever life may bring. The shots told me loud and clear that Chip was gone, just like the bullets that miss their mark, never to be recovered.

Once inside the venue, decorated in red, white and blue and filled with people wearing patriotic shirts and colors, my mind was jolted back to the reason why I came: to celebrate the freedoms and blessings of living in the United States. The speakers at the event encouraged attendees to fight the good fight for this great land of ours so that our freedoms are not lost or given away by those who don’t appreciate them. The speakers encouraged us to celebrate the freedoms that are celebrated on Juneteenth as powerfully as we have always celebrated the freedoms we received on July 4, 1776 as a new nation that aimed to become a more perfect union.

Although there were plenty of quotes I could have used from the speakers at the Freedom Festival (each one’s words were as powerful as the others’ word), the following quotes from people in the past (equally as valuable as the words spoken by people in the present) that reflect the sentiments of the Freedom Festival speakers:

“He only earns his freedom and his life who takes them every day by storm.” --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Freedom, in any case, is only possible by constantly struggling for it.” --Albert Einstein

“I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.” --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Chip loved the concept of freedom. For him, freedom meant asking nothing, expecting nothing in return and being as self-sufficient and productive in society as possible. He knew there was freedom in not being beholden to or dependent on government or others that would aim to take his freedom away. Whether he was thanking God for his freedom while standing on the top of a mountain, rallying for God-given rights in DC or speaking his mind about his beliefs to those who were willing to listen, he personified freedom.

Being at the Freedom Festival yesterday helped me feel closer to him now that he is truly free.

Everlasting be Chip’s memory.