Fourth of July

Today was Thursday, July 4^th.  All week the weather was predicted to be miserable and my husband is expected to be at work on Friday.  Knowing this, I planned meals that did not require us to be outside with the grill and didn't place a lot of expectations on myself to have the best July 4th of my life but I did want to see the fireworks.

From the time I got up I tried to make the best of my day. No need to rush through my morning coffee, my focus was on the planned meals.  I took a few extra minutes to play with the cat.  I kept thinking of the fireworks and started to lay my plans out to the family so that I would have company for the 10pm display. Not going to miss out, I started recruiting about 6pm.  I issued reminders at 7:30pm.  We need to leave at 9pm to arrive in time to get a decent parking space for the 10pm display.  We'll need snacks, drinks, music for the ride, blankets for the grass.

9pm arrives and I am in the car backing out of the garage.  Gosh, a few shimmering drops of rain.  I had checked the weather and it looked like something was headed our way, but we're off to the fireworks!

We got three miles down the road and the sky opened up.  There was no need for music because the violent pounding of raindrops on the vehicle made it so we couldn't hear one another speak.  Somebody yelled something about, “couldn't see”.  The car struggled to maintain its speed as the winds forced it to slow. Amazingly enough the rain turned to a deluge and I could hardly see the lines on the highway.  There was a muffled yell about the reflective markers placed in the highway but we had headed out to see the fireworks and nothing was going to stop us now.

We arrived safely at the church and I pulled into a parking space. The rain had quieted down some and incredibly it appeared as though the display would occur as scheduled.  More cars pulled into the lot. People arrived on foot and more cars loaded with families arrived.  We heard the explosion of a test firework used to announce the anticipated display.  People around us started to get out of their vehicles.  Behind me, a family with young children came and sat on the back porch stairs of the church.  More people exited their cars, some with umbrellas and some braving the drizzle with a light jacket.

We were fourteen minutes into the display when the rainfall increased and the winds picked up. Umbrellas were quickly inverted by the wind. I watched in wonder as small children righted them before their parent arrived to help. The display continued and umbrellas continue to be righted. I saw a few fathers get in their vehicle and noticed that the young children behind me had been safely removed from the porch stairs.

Sixteen minutes later and the Grand Finale occurred as the rain continued to fall. The sky was filled with vibrant colors, and the red white and blue seemed to be given special elevation. The wind calmed enough so that the umbrellas worked properly but it was too late, their users were soaked. The Grand Finale ended and people began to meander back to their vehicles.

Every time I think about the wind, rain, and the inverted umbrellas I laugh so hard that I cry. Today's meals were great, being with the family was great but being in a crowd of independent people on July 4 celebrating our country's independence is awesome!

Independence: a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over the territory.