The Fabric of America

All over America last weekend there were huge parties with expensive decorations, long parades with elegant floats, and extravagant pyrotechnic shows put on by some of the best in the business.  I'm sure millions of Americans came and celebrated by some stranger they had never seen and will more than likely never see again.  I'm sure that the financial burden of the whole event was just a drop in the bucket to whomever or whatever corporate conglomerate sponsored the entire event.

I'd even bet everyone had a good time that went. But..... There's just something sweet and nostalgic about a small town's Independence Day celebration. Isn't that where it all started? From the small settling colonies to the small towns in the Midwest, America started small. It wasn't until we decided that small wasn't good enough anymore that we went big and then super size.  Last Friday night I attended my little tiny hometown Fourth of July celebration and I'll just say that it rivaled any show around.  Maybe it was just my sentimental attachment to my home or maybe it was the drifting laughter of the children sliding down slippery slides reminding me of everything that summer is about, or maybe it was the smell of hamburgers and hotdogs  wafting through out the park that symbolized the camaraderie of the men cooking , but I do believe that the gathering had some kind of special meaning.  Perhaps it was the reflection of the spectacular fireworks show in my own children's eyes and hearing the sweet oohing and ahhing that made the experience even more meaningful to me.  It meant that even though we go through each day knowing that life is hard and even though we don't know where this country is headed, our little town still knows what patriotism is and what being an American means. It means that in God we trust, in family we love, in friends we laugh and in neighbors we celebrate.  This is a great nation, no one needs to tell us that, but sometimes we need to be reminded that the very flag that waves over us is made up of single threads.  Those threads, my friends, are our small towns.  They are the fabric of our nation.  These small towns have treasures all in them if you look closely.  Or maybe you'll see one burst into the air on a hot summer night from the middle of a ball park.

Good job my little town!! My heart is so proud and full... Red, white, blue .... and a little maroon.
Can't wait to see what you do next year!

        

Til Tomorrow!