Vermont has largely been spared from the heat that has been affecting Europe and much of the rest of North America, but it seems summer has finally caught up with us. I hate the heat. It’s one of the reasons I love living in Vermont. I’d much rather be cold than hot and sweaty.
There’s an old saying among people who dislike hot weather: “You can always put on enough clothes to stay warm, but you can’t (legally) take off enough clothes to stay cool.” That’s only partly true in Vermont. Public nudity is actually legal here unless a municipality has an ordinance prohibiting it. Of course, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Besides, I think my neighbors would much rather see me fully clothed. The real Vermont solution is to head for the cold waters of Lake Champlain or one of our many beautiful mountain lakes, ponds, or rivers. Even on the hottest days, they’ll cool you off a lot faster than taking your clothes off.
Today’s forecast calls for a high of 96° in Burlington, with temperatures expected to reach 100° tomorrow. Add in the humidity, and the heat index—the “feels like” temperature—could range from 95° to 110° across parts of Vermont. That’s a level of heat we’re simply not accustomed to.
When I first moved to Vermont, I didn’t have an air conditioner, and those occasional hot spells could be downright miserable. I remember taking cold showers just to cool off enough to fall asleep. Thankfully, I have air conditioners now. I’m also grateful that I work in a climate-controlled museum, so I can spend much of the day somewhere cool, even when it’s sweltering outside.
If you’re dealing with this heat wave, stay hydrated, stay in the shade or air conditioning when you can, and most importantly, stay cool, everybody!
What makes a nation’s pillars high And its foundations strong? What makes it mighty to defy The foes that round it throng?
It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand Go down in battle shock; Its shafts are laid on sinking sand, Not on abiding rock.
Is it the sword? Ask the red dust Of empires passed away; The blood has turned their stones to rust, Their glory to decay.
And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown Has seemed to nations sweet; But God has struck its luster down In ashes at his feet.
Not gold but only men can make A people great and strong; Men who for truth and honor’s sake Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep, Who dare while others fly… They build a nation’s pillars deep And lift them to the sky.
About the Poem
As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I’ve been looking back at American poetry that asks not simply what America is, but what America ought to be.
William Ralph Emerson’s A Nation’s Strength stood out to me because it asks a question that remains just as important today as it was when the poem was written: What makes a nation great?
The United States has never been perfect. The Declaration proclaimed equality as a self-evident truth, but equality was never fully realized at the nation’s founding. Enslaved people remained enslaved. Women were denied the vote. Property requirements limited political participation in many places. Native peoples were displaced. LGBTQ+ people were forced to live in silence, criminalized, pathologized, and denied basic recognition under the law. Throughout our history, every expansion of liberty has been met by resistance, and nearly every step forward has been followed by attempts to roll it back.
Yet the American story is also the story of people insisting that the nation live up to its own ideals.
American poetry tells that story remarkably well. Walt Whitman’s I Hear America Singing celebrated the dignity of workers and the promise of representative government, while We Two Boys Together Clinging quietly insisted that same-sex love also belonged in America. Langston Hughes answered Whitman with I, Too, claiming a place at America’s table for Black Americans. Maya Angelou’sStill I Riseproclaimed resilience against oppression. Emma Lazarus’s The New Colossus reimagined America as a refuge for immigrants. Joy Harjo’s Perhaps the World Ends Herereminds us that Indigenous voices have always been part of the American story. Audre Lorde’s A Litany for Survivalreminds us that speaking—even when we are afraid—is itself an act of courage.
Together, these poets expand the meaning of America. Each asks us to widen the circle of who belongs. Each insists that the ideals expressed in 1776 belong to everyone.
That is why I chose William Ralph Emerson’s poem for this Independence Day. At a time when patriotism is too often confused with slogans, flags, or political loyalty, A Nation’s Strength reminds us that the true measure of a nation is something far less visible. It is found in people who value truth over convenience, justice over privilege, courage over fear, and hope over cynicism.
The United States has often fallen short of its own ideals. We still do. But those ideals are worth celebrating precisely because they continue to challenge us. America’s strength has never rested in its wealth or its military. Its greatest strength has always been its people—especially those who have dared to make the nation more faithful to its promise.
Perhaps that is the enduring lesson of Emerson’s poem. A nation is not made great by what it possesses, but by what its people choose to become.
A Nation’s Strength asks a deceptively simple question: What makes a nation great? Rather than pointing to wealth, military might, or national pride, William Ralph Emerson argues that a nation’s true foundation is the character of its people. Gold can be lost, armies can be defeated, and empires can crumble, but a people committed to truth, honor, courage, and perseverance provide a foundation that endures.
Although William Ralph Emerson was not himself a transcendentalist philosopher, the poem reflects several ideals associated with transcendentalism. Like his second cousin Ralph Waldo Emerson, he emphasizes that lasting greatness comes from moral character rather than material success or political power. In that sense, A Nation’s Strength is both a patriotic poem and a timeless meditation on civic virtue.
More than a century after it was written, its central question remains relevant. Every generation must decide whether a nation’s greatness is measured by what it owns, what it conquers, or how faithfully its people pursue justice, truth, and the common good.
About the Poet
William Ralph Emerson (1833–1917) was an American architect, writer, and poet. Although he is less well known than his famous second cousin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, he wrote a number of poems reflecting on civic life, character, and patriotism. His best-known poem, A Nation’s Strength, has been widely anthologized because of its enduring message that the true strength of a nation lies not in its wealth or military power but in the integrity and perseverance of its people.
While his poetry is rooted in the ideals of the nineteenth century, its message continues to resonate whenever Americans reflect on the meaning of citizenship, liberty, and the ongoing work of building a more perfect union.
When Isabella woke me up this morning, I was not ready to start the day. I got up long enough to feed her, then crawled right back into bed for a little while. Now I feel like I’m running behind and trying to catch up.
I’ve had a migraine since Wednesday night. At times it seems to ease up enough that I think it’s finally breaking, but then it comes right back. I’m heading to work today, but if I’m honest, I’d much rather turn off the alarm, pull the covers back over my head, and sleep for the rest of the morning. I’m hoping today is the day this migraine finally lets go.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted, but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
—Isaiah 40:28-31
Pride Month is often a season of celebration, joy, and visibility. Yet for many LGBTQ+ people, it is also a reminder of the long journey we have traveled. Some of us have faced rejection, isolation, discrimination, or the painful struggle of reconciling our faith with our identity. There are days when the weight of those experiences can leave us feeling exhausted.
Isaiah’s words speak directly to weary hearts. The prophet was writing to people who knew hardship and uncertainty. They longed for deliverance and wondered if God had forgotten them. Into that weariness, God offered a promise: those who place their hope in the Lord will find renewed strength.
Notice that Isaiah does not promise that the journey will be easy. He does not say that God’s people will never grow tired or face challenges. Instead, he promises that God will sustain them through those difficulties. Strength is renewed not because the road disappears, but because God walks beside us on it.
For LGBTQ+ Christians, this promise can be especially meaningful. Many of us have spent years hearing voices that told us we were not enough, that we did not belong, or that God could not love us as we are. Yet Scripture tells a different story. The psalmist reminds us, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Our worth is not determined by the opinions of others but by the God who created us.
When we grow weary from defending our dignity or seeking acceptance, we can remember Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Christ does not place additional burdens upon us; he offers rest, grace, and belonging.
The Apostle Paul also reminds us that God’s power is revealed through human weakness: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The struggles we face do not separate us from God. Instead, they can become places where God’s sustaining presence is most clearly experienced.
Pride Month is a celebration of authenticity, courage, and resilience. It is a testimony to generations of LGBTQ+ people who kept moving forward despite opposition and fear. Like Isaiah’s vision of soaring eagles, we are reminded that God gives us the strength to rise above the forces that seek to diminish us.
And as we journey together, we remember Paul’s assurance that “there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). In God’s family, our differences do not divide us; they enrich the beautiful diversity of creation.
Wherever you find yourself today—celebrating, struggling, healing, or simply trying to keep moving forward—know that God has not abandoned you. The same God who strengthened the weary exiles, welcomed the outcast, and raised Christ from the dead continues to renew and sustain God’s people.
You may be tired. You may be discouraged. But you are not alone. God is with you, renewing your strength for the journey ahead.
Joe
The Closet Professor 