Family on the Fourth of July

I’ve always loved the Fourth of July.  Fireworks were a big part of the holiday for as long as I can remember. When I was a child, we would usually spend most of the summer at the beach.  My father worked during the week in town and came down to the beach on the weekends and holidays. He absolutely loved fireworks, and frankly he didn’t really need the Fourth of July to find an excuse to light off a string of firecrackers or even a cherry bomb or two. We would always take a big box of “safe & sane” fireworks down onto the sand to light off on the big day.  When I was really little, I was only allowed to wave a sparkler.  But as I got older, I learned how to light the fuse with a glowing stick of punk and then run back to safety before the fountain or Piccolo Pete went off.  For several years, my father volunteered with others in the beach community to produce a professional-grade sky rocket display. Once one of the rockets exploded without lifting off, scattering the volunteers but fortunately not causing any serious injuries or fires.  I think the following year the professionals took over, and I could tell that my father was disappointed to be restricted to the more modest, kid-friendly displays.

Last summer Fourth of July celebrations were mostly cancelled because of COVID concerns. Interacting with family was more likely to be by Zoom than in person. That’s why it felt so special this year to gather with family on the Oregon Coast for the holiday weekend. Two of our three children and their husbands, two grandchildren, and two dogs crowded in together to celebrate. Our two-year-old granddaughter was too young to stay up late enough to watch the fireworks launched less than a mile away (amazingly she slept through them), but her five-year-old sister stayed up to watch the display.  It was her very first time to see fireworks, and she was absolutely thrilled. Watching her excitement brought tears to my eyes, and reminded me what we have missed so much this last year: being together to share the joy of families.