I suppose I am really thankful for good food and better company. The past few days have been hectic — and so much fun. The 4th of July was marvelous. The neighborhood celebrated our annual parade.
Of course, our annual parade is not quite like other Independence Day parades. We do not have floats or marching bands. In fact, it looks more like a Mardi Gras event. The neighbors dress up in red, white and blue clothes. Some wear outlandish clown wigs or over sized shoes. Even the dogs are dressed up with flag designed bandanas. And we walk almost the length of the ridge waving at our other neighbors who are not able to walk the distance, but opt to sit in folding chairs along the sidewalk.
Call us crazy! But, it is the one day of the year when almost all the neighbors participate. The parade starts early and ends early, but that does not end the celebration. Groups of neighbors gather at one house or another and enjoy friendships and make new ones.
The rest of the day is celebrated with cookouts or with neighbors carrying picnics to the lake for a day of fun and fireworks.
Anyone who is unfamiliar with this tradition would think we have lost it. But, as simple as this little event is, it is big to those of us who participate. I guess it is the one day of the year when everyone comes out. Fences and walls seem to disappear. No one is confined by property boundaries. Instead, we are a community — for a day, at least.
Needless to say, there is a food overload by the end of the day. By the time the fireworks begin, most of us — especially the older folks — are resting in our folding chairs discussing the best dishes of the day and celebrating our pride in being an American.
This year was special. While our politics differ greatly from house to house, everyone was proud of the changes we have seen in during the past six months. Of course, there are still challenges across our nation but the tone was different among the neighbors. I thought back to last year when we were all taking positions on what we thought would be best for our nation’s future. This year we were following the lead of our President. We put aside any differences and extended a welcoming hand to one another. You know, life is so much better when we look for common ground rather than debate our differences.
I am thankful for picnics, cookouts, old friends, new friends, and the neighbor who reached across the fence to introduce himself. Yep, there is something to be said for finding things of common interest.
Here’s a picture of the town below the ridge from the front porch. It’s dark and a bit of a blur, but it is easy to see that there were lights and fireworks on the 4th.
July 4th
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