Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy Fourth of July

Walking along in the deep green and floral shock of color that is Wilton Manors, there are a few mixed in Peppermint Candy Cane stripes of red and white with a touch of blue.  They join the rainbow stripes that aren't due to the predawn rain that was there when the dogs were walked.

Today barbecue grills will be warmed to cook burgers to perfection, roast corn on the cob, and to lend a gathering place for friends that have traveled to be with friends.  Joining for good times around the table, conversations will start, news bulletins will inform, and gossip will be told with great abandon.

It is a day to step back, celebrate our successes, mourn our losses, and plan for the future.   It's not perfect here, but it's better than most, and at least we're fixing our problems.

For the rest of the world, it's merely Wednesday.  It will be a day where the noisiness coming from the middle of the North American Continent will change and quiet some.  Some may pause in distant lands and consider what it might mean to be here on this day.  It isn't merely a day to stand around a grill, drink beer, and stuff your face, there's more to it than that. 

After the coals cool, the desserts have been served, and leftovers are stored in the refrigerator to echo the feast, we continue to celebrate the day the way John Adams, the second President of the United States suggested:


"...It ought to be commemorated as a day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bell, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."

After all, you're free to celebrate the day however you please.



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