July – at least for most Americans – both born and those who elect to become citizens of the United States of America – means the Fourth of July. The great rallying cry of Independence, barbecues, red, white, and blue attire, parades, the taste of sunscreen mingled with ice cream as you lick the drips that run down the speed bump of your writes to the crook of your elbow. You end the day in a dizzy sugar coma filled up on carbs and good feelings about your country. And – hopefully – with all of your digits attached.

Yet, all the trappings of this celebration are big, loud, and super-sized, it has moved us from some of the smaller and incredibly heroic acts that have gotten us to where we are today.

Consider the gatherings of the Continental Congress, huddled together amid droning flies, unbearable heat and not a cooling Frappuccino to be found, putting pen to paper to create a country. Yes, the debates were loud, boisterous, and exuberant. But also, contempletative, heart-rending, and frequently somber. They knew their signatures on the final document would seal their fates to history – either as traitors or the founders of a new country. We all know how it turned out. Thankfully.

I also think about the woman who created our flag, the one we so cavalierly put on everything – from shoes to shorts, hats to handbags – and I wonder what was on her heart as she poured her patriotism into every stitch, working by daylight and candlelight in a fervor of excitement to share this flag with General Washington. She was brave, bold, and daring to create such a monumental icon for time in memorial.

That quiet courage gets a little lost in the cacophony of the day with the displays of raucous rockets, the brass bands and the deafening flyovers of the Air Force jets. I wonder what those Founding Fathers and Ms. Ross would think of all the noise we make to shout for our freedom?

I yearn for the quiet to think of those courageous enough to step forward and put their names, and maybe their necks, in a noose for a belief bigger than themselves.

And I hope that I will have the courage, in the midst of the silence, to step forward with my friends, family and colleagues to say, with a strong clear voice, that we ALL deserve Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness – no substitutions or deletions.

Let Freedom both ring and whisper. Both are just as impactful.