Fourth of July and Family Reunions

I found out Friday afternoon that I would not be making the annual trip to Gatesville to the family reunion that has been, for at least the last fifty years, held each Fourth of July.  For years it was held at the beautiful Mother Neff State Park, along the banks of the muddy and slow moving Leon River.  In the past few years, the reunion has been held in Gatesville at one of the community centers.  But in either case, it was always so much fun and so much joy to meet with over a hundred relatives each year, to talk about the changes and events of the past year, to play games, listen to the annual sing alongs (yes, SOME of the Meeks family and relatives have musical talent), and of course, to eat the various dishes proferred by the many fine cooks in the family. 

The good thing about missing the reunion, of course, is that I will also miss out on the weight gain that goes along with over-eating by several pounds.  But there are so many relatives I would love to have seen in person.  Yet, I know I will have a great time this Fourth of July.  Yes, I will work the day, but will be off in the evening with the family and relatives that live in this neck of the woods.  The spirit of the Fourth of July is not diminished by the disappointment of missing the family reunion.  There will be fireworks displays in the area, there will be good food (I may gain the pounds I thought I was going to miss), and there will be comraderie both at work during the day and at home (wherever we end up for the evening!).  Most important of all, there will be the spirit of the Fourth of July!

The Spirit of the Fourth of July is not contained by the boundaries of anyone's home, any city in Texas, or even by the borders of this nation.  All over this nation, and wherever American soldiers and citizens may be, people will see hundreds of American flags on display, or banners and bunting of red, white, and blue.  And we well all be reminded of the chance our Founding Fathers took, the risks that many ordinary people accepted, the suffering and hardships many people went through, not just for a day or a few weeks, but for years, as they fought what must have seemed an undefeatable force with endless resources.  But they hung on, those colonists that we now call Patriots, though they were legally treasonists by British law.  Now, these two hundred and some odd years later, we can remember the founding of this nation, the heroes of that day, and also the heroes of our own times as well.  So I will not spend the day as I would have preferred, but I will spend the day enjoying the freedom and the blessings of this great nation.  God Bless America, and long live the Red, White, and Blue.