Have you ever listened to the song by Maverick City Music featuring Israel Houghton, Bri Babineaux & Ryan Ofei called Freedom looks good on you?”

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I believe when you listen you will understand that when you have faith and understand the lyrics it will all make sense. At the end of the song four words are mentioned as a sound they are “Freedom, Joy, Triumph, and Victory.”

Every year many plan trips outside of the United States whether for business or personal pleasures.

I’ve always been amazed how quickly people forget the past as it relates to the freedoms we share.

Last week, the United States and Russia carried out a historic prisoner exchange Thursday when two dozen detainees, including former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, were released as part of a sweeping deal that involved at least seven countries.

“Not since the Cold War has there been a similar number of individuals exchanged in this way and there has never, so far as we know, been an exchange involving so many countries, so many close US partners and allies working together,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Thursday.

Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan released in prisoner swap | CNN Politics

When I think about the complexity of everyone’s release and the number of negotiations required between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, I’m sure there were some sleepless nights.

I’m happy that after the ordeal with American basketball star Brittney Griner was freed from Russian prison in (December 2022) that diplomacy did not dash the hopes of those released last week.

Ironically, during last week, one of the Toastmasters Clubs that I belong to had scheduled a theme meeting: “Liberation” for the fifth Tuesday of the month on July 30, 2024. The theme was agreed upon on July 2nd and executed on July 30th.

Who would have thought two days later August 1, 2024, that several people would be celebrating their liberation from a Russian prison.

The word freedom can have a different meaning depending on your geography or faith.
Brittney Griner was exchange for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and took eight months.

Griner freed: WNBA star swapped for Russian, heads home | AP News

US Marine Paul Whelan was scheduled to serve 16 years in a maximum-security colony and had been in prison since December 2018.

Paul Whelan heads home, after 2,043 days in a Russian prison (bbc.com)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich had been imprisoned for nearly 500 days and was recently sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony.

Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich Released From Russian Captivity (msn.com)

When I think about what type of world we live in today where you can swap or exchange people to gain freedom there are no words to describe it.

What I can describe is the gratitude of others like Germany willing to assist the United States after there was opposition or reluctance to releasing Russian, Vadim Krasikov from Germany’s prison as part of the prison swap.

Who is Vadim Krasikov, the Russian hit man at the center of the deal? (msn.com)

I’m glad that the nexus or connections between Germany and the United States for relationship still remain solid, even with the differences in policy.

US-Germany relations seen as strong, but underlying policy differences begin to show | Pew Research Center

As I close, I’d asked that you think about all the disparity that occurs outside of the United States, yet right in our back yards in the United States there is a sense of freedom that is undeniable.

Today many voices are being silenced, yet last week we witnessed two voices particularly Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich whose voices are being heard today in the United States of America.

This past week was my reminder that the price of freedom comes at a cost and sometimes it can take years.
Listen closely to the four words (Freedom, Joy, Triumph, and Victory) I spoke about that are at the end of the song and see if they make sense to you.