wwW - July 2nd

I love this time of year. And I'm loving the weather. Cloudy skies and refreshingly cool winds are my glory, and the dogs too on our morning walk through the park next to our house. There is a little thrill as I cross the bridge and go up the footpath on the hill to see the ferris-wheel and the flags and steel girders of the county carnival set up for the coming holiday. I love the 4th of July.

Don't get me wrong, I would probably die for the meanings behind Christmas and Easter. Those incredible, important holidays that have deep foundations in my faith - or at least the core of what they started as. But the little kid inside me can't get enough of the superficial fun at Halloween and the 4th of July. And yes I know celebrating concepts like national freedom, and the sacrifice it takes to obtain and maintain are not at all superficial. But if I am honest, most of my holiday will not revolve around that - though I am deeply indebted to our servicemen and women and the government that holds those values.

The 4th of July is about getting my house clean (yeah!). It is about having friends over. It is about good food. And yes around here it is about parades and carnival rides and fireworks.

When we moved into our home eight years ago over Thanksgiving weekend with the help of our friends from game group, we had no clue that one of the best fireworks displays in the state would be lit a half a block away in the park, or that the same park would host the carnival rides and food booths, and musicians that come with such civic celebrations.

I have loved sitting so close that you can see the firefighters lighting the rockets, you can feel the sound as well as hear it (a little bit left over from being raised by a military explosives expert I guess). And I love that every year we seem to get a new color thrown into the mix.(Last years was a bright turquoise.)

I am loving that it is a chance to entertain, to cook and bake. And this year I am really proud and excited that my children are undertaking key parts of the kitchen work. Fred 1 is going to be running the grill, Fred 2 has already made a batch of outstanding cookies, and Fred 3 is all lined up to help with the traditional deviled eggs. It is a neat thing to see your children growing into young adults.

I love it that we can open our home to friends. Our family is often too far away to come, but it is a neat thing to have friends that enjoy the holiday with us. For two introverts who grew up with very few friends, it is actually a surprising thing. 12 years ago we met a group of people who posted about getting together to game in our city on an internet bulletin board. I remember how nervous we were as a couple  to go and try that out.

We still meet regularly. We've been a part of weddings and housewarmings. We have talked the talk of parents with kids in the same age group, who all like games too. It is a joy to have friends. Some things from childhood hang on in that you find yourself consistently surprised. I will always be surprised how green Wisconsin is having been raised in a desert. And in this odd undercurrent of thought I am always happily surprised that every 4th of July we have friends who enjoy coming to our house.

So Christmas and Easter, they point me to those basal  things that God has done things that give a depth to my life that I cannot imagine being without. But the 4th of July points me to what I have to be thankful for within life itself: the fabric of friendships, calendar events, celebration, and the quiet walks in the park where there is a magic in the air before the rides start to twirl and the music starts to pound.