EDITORIAL: Persisting in tough times

When John Adams wrote to his wife in 1776 regarding the celebratory day of America’s independence, he told her that it “ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance . . . to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

That mandate can seem more or less daunting depending on the year.

During good times, celebration of America’s greatness flows easier from the spirit. But with a climbing unemployment rate, out-of-work friends, failing corporations and a state government that has become a shining example of ineffectual leadership, well, it’s hard to meet Adams even half way.

These are extraordinary times in many of the worst ways, but our country has been through worse.

And there are still examples of people in our communities who continue to excel and overcome adversity on their way to success and achievement — the true commemoration of this nation’s independent, can-do ethos.

Take Angela Marie Sanchez, who graduated from Glendale High School this year with a 4.23 grade-point average despite living in a homeless shelter with her out-of-work father. She is just as much of a testament to this nation’s hard work ethic as she is to the benevolent streak that runs through our church and nonprofit communities, which assisted Sanchez and her family along the way.

On the other end of the spectrum we have people like Gregory Bowman, who is retiring as Burbank Unified’s superintendent after a 44-year career in education. His upward trajectory through the ranks, as well as leaving an institution in better shape than when he found it, is an inspiration to those below him.

All around us, from mass trash pick-ups and neighborhood parties for returning soldiers, it is clear that this debilitating recession has yet to break our collective spirit.

So on this Fourth of July, take heart. As with other turbulent chapters in this nation’s history, we will pull through — scarred, no doubt, but stronger because of it. And that, perhaps more than America’s 233rd birthday, is reason enough to oblige Adams.