John Sellars.org

Had a great day yesterday – started off by attending the University Heights July 4^th Parade full of kids on bikes, trikes, electric scooters and cars as well as parents and enough canines to bring another veterinarian to Springfield. It drizzled a little, but the camaraderie could not be beat. Later Jane, Jake, Caroline and I, along with the Summers’ – Patsy, Gene, Wes and little Sarah – walked with all the families and friends in the Meadowmere-Weller neighborhood – meeting and greeting old friends as well as making new acquaintances.

The day ended at I Love America – James River Assembly’s well-thought out (and executed) celebration of our country’s birth. Thousands gathered to play together and watch a spectacular musical fireworks display as dusk turned into night. The program began with a narrative accompanied by photos from all parts of our great country. As my friend Todd Smith, the narrator, named each scene I began to keep track of how many of them I had been lucky enough to experience during my lifetime. Needless to say, the day and its activities put me into a nostalgic mood, and when Jake asked for a story on our drive home, I was ready to share my remembrances of family celebrations in the 1950’s. My Grandmother’s house was always decorated with a large American flag hung on nails under the eaves on the front porch and there were wash tubs of iced watermelon and soft drinks. We siblings weren’t allowed to set off the fireworks – that job fell to my dad and Uncle Jim. As I remember it, those two had an awful lot of fun shooting off roman candles and other such loud fireworks.

This morning I remember the message of yesterday loud and clear: we Americans are extremely proud of our country and of our individual heritages. We may have come from different parts of the world, but our ancestors came here for the same reasons – to live in freedom; to worship as we please; to raise our children to become educated, solid citizens; to be able to work hard and prosper. We don’t want freedoms identified by our forefathers to be rationed out, we don’t want to be over-taxed or over-regulated. We should celebrate our freedoms every day and know by our participation and lending our voice to the process we will ensure that they are always there.