A small town 4th of July…

We flew to Little Rock to spend 4th of July with the grandkids. There was ice cream, face painting, balloons…a hometown band was playing, dogs were on leashes and little people were everywhere. There were blankets, lawn chairs and picnic tables. There was a parade full of red wagons decorated with stars and stripes and balloons of red, white and blue were attached to strollers, clothing and just about anything that would keep them from escaping into the sky. At dusk we saw a couple of bats fly by and the smell of bug spray was in the air. As the sky grew darker you could feel the excitement of the children…the anticipation of the fireworks and the darkness was making them giddy.

We were sitting by the lake at Little Rock Air Force Base and I couldn’t think of a better place to be. To be among so many service men and women…celebrating Independence Day…feeling patriotic and proud. I felt like a kid as I looked around in the darkness, the anticipation of what was to come made me smile. At precisely 9:30 (2130 military time) the sky lit up and the boom from the first set of fireworks made my granddaughter jump with delight. A loud speaker with patriotic music was playing in the background. With each set of fireworks the crowd responded with “beautiful”…or “wow”…or “aawwww.” There was a man behind me...he was an older gentlemen...he was a large man…one you would expect to be composed…but he wasn’t…he was just as giddy as the children. I was glad he was near me. I was delighted by this mans enthusiasm…for his remembrance of what this day stands for…and I was thankful…thankful for this celebration of Independence by both young and old.

I wish you all a Wonderful Wednesday with no complaints. One by one we can make a difference…

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America . I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence , rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

Historians have long disputed whether Congress actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day. Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed. In a remarkable coincidence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.