What Does the 4th of July Mean to You?

As I grow older the meaning of holidays have changed. Take the Fourth of July for instance. My most vivid memories are of growing up in rural Tennessee. No firework restrictions then! I have dozens of cousins and the fourth meant fireworks and family. They would travel from all over the country and descend upon my grandmother’s house.

I remember setting on the floor next to my grandmother’s rocking chair as we broke beans fresh from the garden. For those of you who have never snapped fresh beans. You have to break the tips off of each end and then pull of the threads of vine that are still attached. I can almost hear the snap and the sweet smell of fresh bean. Every once in a while a brown one would appear, it was wrenched open and the precious green seeds inside were dropped into the woven basket. Nothing was wasted.

While my grandmother headed into the kitchen to start her homemade fried chicken and corn on the cobb, we kids headed out to start the festivities. Even at a young age we were all handed out ‘punks’. Wasn’t much safety concerns back then, the threat of danger just made it more challenging. The yard exploded with the sounds of bottle rockets, fire crackers, and chasers. Of course the ‘chasers’ didn’t travel to well on the gravel driveway. So some of the younger adults would set them up on the road, not much traffic back then.

And life was simple, but good.

However, these days, when I think about the fourth of July, I don’t think about cookouts or fireworks.

I think about the men that risked treason to sit down and draft a document 237 years ago. Brave men willing to stand up to a King and say NO! Men with quiet dignity, men who knew the meaning of self-worth.

And I thank them and all the men and women who have fought for and those that have died for our country.

For our freedom.

I remember, and I will never forget.

What does the 4th of July mean to you? Leave a comment!