Every year on July 4th, the United States of America celebrates her independence. To the men, women and children who fought for freedom, who died bringing to pass our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (property). Each year, as President John Adams signified, "From one end of the continent to the other..." we shall celebrate our independence with fireworks!
As a boy, I remember watching fireworks out on the back deck of my grandparents home in Fruit Heights, Utah. We could see the fireworks show shot over the Great Salt Lake, the fireworks from Lagoon Amusement Park and the show from Bountiful, Utah. It was quite the site! We would gather around and eat good food, play games and enjoy each other's company. If we had the time, we would get to do sparklers and on occasion, one of my uncles would get a few of the fireworks that you see in grocery stores today. It was a great time!
Fast forward several years, now I finished putting on a wee bit of a fireworks show for my children, including sparklers. We now longer go to Fruit Heights as Grandma and Grandpa have both passed on, but the feelings of gratitude for the freedoms I enjoy are still as relevant today as they were then.
Over the past couple of years, the State of Utah has legalized aerial fireworks. It is simply amazing to me how a nice quiet neighborhood of good, law abiding citizens can be turned into a "war-zone." (For those who have been in actual war-zones, forgive my liberal use of the term. I simply have no other reference to which I can call what I see and hear.) Explosions are heard overhead of my house. Rockets red glare (along with, blue, green, and yellow) can be seen above the treetops of our quite hovel. As I watch this spectacle of aerial gunpowder excitement, and water hose in hand ready to spring into action, I think of those men and women who fought for our right to blow things up... legally! Once again, I say thank you.
God Bless, America! (We could use all the help we can get.)
No comments:
Post a Comment