It’s a clear, sunny day today, a perfect day for a Fourth of July cookout. We’re having a few friends from our church over to the house for more food and drinks than we’ll be able to consume. Afterward, any of them who want to stay can join my daughter and me in our July 4th tradition of watching the movie Independence Day. I’ve unfurled the American flag and put it out on our front porch like so many others in our neighborhood.

More importantly, as I write this, my son and daughter-in-law, who ...