RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

As the USA gets ready to celebrate our independence, we have to admit July 4, 2020 is a July 4th like none we remember.  There are memories!

Growing up, my home town had a July 4th celebration that lasted a week.  The carnival came to town!  Rides – the Tilt-a-Whirl, Merry Go Round, and Scrambler – were 5¢ to 25¢ and that meant moms and dads kept extra quarters ready to give for just one more ride.  The smell of carnival food is unique and cotton candy made for sticky hands.  In the middle of the carnival and all the noise was the bingo tent.  My dad had a knack at bingo and we always ended up blankets and towels and dishes.  I am not sure why he only won things mom would like.  They had games and stuffed bears big enough to fill the bed of the pickup.  Or maybe they just looked that big to a little girl.  We were not allowed to go in the tents along the outside.  That is where the bearded lady and the half man/half beast and the wild man that ate live chickens were on display.  On display if you had the entrance fee. 

The Civic Band played those patriotic songs that made our hands go over our hearts and soldiers wipe away a tear before anyone could see it.  Babies cried and little kids waved flags.  And everyone kept looking at the sky to see if it was getting dark enough for the fireworks.

I love fireworks!  I love the colors and the noise and the smell and the bangs that make your breastbone quiver.  The thrill of seeing a trail going higher and higher and suddenly exploding into a burst of red and gold or blue or silver.  Then hearing a collective AHH from the crowd.  In the shadows, on the ground away from the crowd, you could see the shape of something, but it was too dark to tell exactly what was going to appear.  A figure would move closer and closer.  A flare would touch the fuse.  The shape became the Statue of Liberty or the Flag.  Hey, that was pretty high tech for 63 years ago.  I tried to find a picture, but we were all too busy enjoying the fireworks to take pictures. 

Yes, life has changed.  Celebrations have changed.  One thing I pray never changes is the word UNITED. 

UNITED is what makes this country special.  UNITED is what makes this country strong.  We are fifty individual states UNITED as one country. 

UNITED does not mean we have a perfect past, because this country was founded by imperfect people and our laws have evolved through time.  It means we are a country using the lessons from the past to improve our future.

UNITED does mean we all have to act the same or believe the same.  It means we take what we have in common and what makes each of us unique and weave them into a tapestry that is beautiful to behold.

UNITED means that on July 4th we wave a flag to celebrate a country that has opened its arms to the world and sent our soldiers to protect, not only our freedoms at home, but the freedom of those too weak to protect themselves.

My prayer, for July 4, 2020, is that we will remember the words of the Declaration of Independence and be UNITED in achieving the goals of our founding fathers.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—