Happy 4th of July

Well, a little late, but it’s still the Fourth. Fireworks have come and gone. Around here there are so many fireworks displays to see. You can drive up any freeway and see shows to the left and to the right, off in the distance and close in. I used to love fireworks as a kid, but for some reason they don’t hold the same importance as they used to. My jaded adult view of the world I suppose.

My kids love them though, so, like a good mom, I oooh and aaah over the explosions right along with the both of them. My daughter didn’t like them when she was little though. We went to a family reunion in Missouri a couple of years ago when she was maybe 3 or 4. My aunt lived out in the boonies, so fireworks were legal. My uncles (big kids that they are) bought, oh, say a few hundred dollars worth of fireworks (keeping in mind that you buy $10 and get $20 worth free). Needless to say we had a lot. So, there we are, out in the country, at night, my uncles each with a few beers in them…shooting off fireworks. We try to bring L out to see them going off, and she is terrified. No, I’m not talking just a whimpering terrified. I’m talking full-blown, screams of fear, shaking-body convulsions, eyes-wide, bona-fide terror. Poor baby. I took her inside, even down into the basement (what a novelty, we don’t have those in Texas), and the faint ‘pop-pop-feeewww’ of the fireworks upstairs kept my poor darling crying until she fell to sleep in my arms.

She’s over that now though. She wants to see those bright lights and hear the pop-feeewww-bang all night long. So, even though we watched fireworks last night, she was desperate to see another show. We got home from my grandparent’s house (pool, burgers and more pool) and inside just barely in time to hear the start of a show nearby. So, we walked out to the main street and stood in the by-way, watching the fireworks, just above the trees. My son decided it would be appropriate for us to sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, but couldn’t just remember how it started off, so, I led the two of them in our National Anthem. My son, in his boyish tenor, chimed in, followed by my daughter, occasionally fumbling a word or two here or there. We stood, hands over our hearts, eyes on the fireworks, and sang.

I am thankful for my freedoms, all that they may be. I am thankful I am allowed to agree or disagree with our leadership as I see fit. I am thankful that people like my grandparents fought in past wars to preserve those freedoms. I am thankful for the women and men that are fighting across the world today, in the name of America, still believing that we are worth fighting for. Although I wish they were all at home, safe with their families, watching fireworks displays and singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ too.

Happy Fourth of July.