We observed the 4th of July this past week. To some, it was another routine workday. Maybe a day to veg and recharge. Others went camping or boating. Some visited friends or embarked on vacation in a new state. Sports fans watched a baseball game.
Many celebrated with a cookout and fireworks. The hiss, sparkle, and boom never fail to bring a smile to my face. Unless it's 2:00am and we just got the grandkids and scaredy cat dogs to sleep. Again.
July is one of my favorite months because of this holiday. Friends gather for fires on the beach or the backyard. Fingers get sticky with marshmallows and chocolate. Beach towels are dug from the back of the linen closet for use on the boat, dock, pool, or sprinkler. The holiday often involves water, from swimming pools to squirt guns, sprinklers to lakes and rivers.
My point isn't to list all of my favorite things, (of which I have many in the summer), but to thank those who served and gave me the freedom and choice to celebrate how I want. I'm thankful for my freedom to live, worship, work, vacation, shop, drive, and just be in this country. I'm thankful that my family and friends can gather to celebrate.
So, thank you to my husband, brother, grandfather, grandfather-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, multiple cousins, and friends, who gave up their freedoms for a time (and some who sacrificed all) to serve our country. They proudly, but silently, carry the wounds, both visible and not, so we don't have to. Enjoy your freedom. And thank someone who made it possible. It's never guaranteed.
So much to love about the 4th, but our pets truly do suffer with all the noisy fireworks! So thankful for this great country we live in, and the freedoms we enjoy that so many of our dear loved ones have sacrificed themselves for. May we never take it for granted! Blessings to you!