Some Fun on the Fourth
I hope all my fellow US’ers reading this post had a great 4th of July holiday.
Its funny, my girls have so much fun saying, “Cinco de Mayo” two months earlier in May. I try to explain to them the two holidays are similar; at least as far as gaining Independence as a nation.
Our church always does a nice job on our 4th holiday t commemorate some importance of our holiday.
“God of our Father’s, whose Almighty hand hath made and preserved our nation, grant that our people may understand what they celebrate of the 4th of July. May they remember how bitterly our Freedom was won, the down payment which was made for it, the installments that have been made since this republic was born, and the price that must be paid for our liberty.
May freedom be seen not as a right to do as we please but the opportunity to do what is right. May it ever be understood that our Liberty is under God and can be found nowhere else. May our faith be something that is not merely stamped upon our coins but expressed in our hearts..
Let us as a nation not be afraid of standing alone for the rights of all since we were born that way, as the only nation on earth that came into being ” for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.” We know that we should be true to the Pilgrim’s dream when we are true to the God they worshiped.
To the extent that America honors thee, wilt thou bless America, and keep her true as thou hast kept her free, and make her good as thous hast made her rich. Let us not grow weary in working for the good of all, use us to show forth Your new creation.”
July 3rd, 1947
Peter Marshall, former Chaplain to the US Senate.
Our church service does a good job in reminding us not to take our liberty for granted. And we have been trying instill that into our girls.
So on the 4th, we were each ‘granted’ the opportunity to work 6 hours.
Six.
Then I came home and mowed the lawn and cleaned the pool in my sweat drenched cabana-boy outfit while my girls swam and played in it. I got in just as quick as I could after working in the mid 90’s heat.
They went to take a nap for a while as they had 4th of July party scheduled for late night on that Monday.
They are ready to party!
So I grabbed a lounge chair and an adult refreshing beverage, dug out my old portable speakers, found the Jimmy Buffett channel on YouTube, got real comfortable and mentally went on vacation for the next two hours.
It was like the neighborhood was vacant. No one was there. No one stirred. No cars. It was like everyone was out of town.
Peace and quiet.
Giving me time to I appreciate what our forefathers had accomplished for my generation…..
Ok I fell asleep.
I got fried!
Southern fried
Well a tap on the shoulder reminded me I had a special 4th of July celebration that I promised to our girls, complete with a late night swim under the stars and rockets-red-glare.
So I fired up the grill. I dug out some new grilling recipes I found on the Margaritaville blog that I wanted to try; grilled Mexican corn and jerk-spiced grilled shrimp (how American)
Then I tried to cool everyone off with my version of a Red, White, and Blue dessert…
So the girls got back in the pool as the 4th Party continued.
Being cautious, practical parents we do not buy into getting so many fireworks that pop up in grocery stores or parking lot fireworks stands on holidays.
Sparklers are about as daring as we get at this stage of the game…
We let all the bigger fireworks in the hands of the neighborhood pyro-tecnincs as we watch from a ‘comfortable’ distance…
One thing we have found, in these late-night holiday parties, it sure does bring out the ‘Crazies’!
Yes, our girls have a lot to be thankful for. It was a great day!
Let us never forget that Liberty is not free. There have been many deposits made as well as the need for continuing installments.
Which takes me back to another reading at last Sunday’s 4th of July service.
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand that preserved us in peace, multiplied and enriched us, and strengthened us; for we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, to proud to pray to God that made us! …”
April 30th 1863
Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation for a National Day Of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer
I think Abraham Lincoln’s message is as important today as it as over 150 years ago. Now, as each night we watch the tragic headlines in the news; and they take prayer out of our schools.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th of July holiday, week and ongoing celebratory month!
Thanks for dropping by!
And if this lobby was any indication of our Valentine’s dinner we were in for a very special Valentines’ Day dinner; all of us!
Habits, whether good or bad, start off as thin as a single strand of hair – easy to snap. However, if we continue with the behavior, that same strand-like habit will grow to be strong and sturdy like chain links – difficult to break. Having an attitude of gratitude is a habit. This is a habit that I am constantly working toward; it is not easy. It takes work. It requires reflecting, sifting through life experiences, and being aware that there is value in all my interactions. It is not easy to be in gratitude when negativity steps in, when there is illness, death, or when bad news comes our way. However, I know if I search within, there is always something for which I can be grateful.
OUR LIFE IN 3D 