Anyone that truly knows me knows this is one of my favorite days of the year. The 4th of July! I love my country! I love parties! I LOVE summer! I love picnics! I love the easiness of getting together with good friends and sitting outside and inside while kids run around! I love staying up late, watching the stars mix with the man made wonder of fireworks! For me, the 4th of July has always been a perfect holiday.
I found a kindred spirit in my best friend, now 11 years ago when our friendship was young, and she caught my enthusiasm for creating a 4th of July to remember for our two families. We looked at the recipes in a parenting magazine, decided on crafts for our three daughters to make, chose patriotic music to be played and marked the party in bold on our calendars. What happened that year was NOT the perfect holiday, but a wonderful combination of recipe mishaps, misbehaving children, laughter, silliness and wonderful memories captured through photographs. It was not magazine picture perfect, but the perfect blend of real families loving each other and the beauty of celebrating our nation's birthday.
Every year since, our two families have made it a priority to be together on the 4th of July. Some years our celebration has been in a Mexican restaurant and sometimes in my family's backyard under the stars, but the important factor of being together always remains. This bond is such a comfort to me and I think one of the reasons why I look forward to the 4th of July every year with such eagerness.
I always host the 4th party, but last year was feeling very blue and definitely not very red or white, because three of my six children were going to be away from home. My dear friend asked me what I had planned and I answered, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe draping the house in black and sitting around in sack cloth all day..." I was not very festive. Her husband came to save the day when he heard about my dreary attitude. He not only shopped, but cooked an entire barbecue shiskabob meal for our two families, showed my husband how to build a fire pit ( a long time desire of mine) and helped us find things to burn for our first official bonfire. What a treat! As we all sat around the bonfire and watched neighborhood fireworks being launched my friend pointed out shooting star after shooting star; a commentary by God to show us who really has the fireworks to share. It was the culmination of love and compassion for my situation. Everyone knew I was out of sorts, but God and my dear friends weren't going to allow me to wallow in self pity or miss the joy around me. What a memory! What a beautiful representation of the unity of our families and our country's spirit. Is not the USA known for pulling together when someone needs us?
So, I am getting out the sparklers, cleaning up the grill, hanging the decorations and anxiously awaiting the arrival of my dear friend and her family and others as well. It's the 4th of July! It's time to celebrate! It's time to enjoy our freedom as Americans, remember the sacrifices of so many over the years, and bask in the warmth and love our loved ones.
I hope all your summer nights are filled with fireworks!