Celebration

Happy Birthday, America! I know it’s been a rough couple of years, but you’re still the greatest country on earth. I thank God I was born here and nowhere else. I just hope they don’t change you too much; I want to be able to recognize the country I love so dearly.

So it’s early in the morning on the Fourth of July. It’s a beautiful, cool morning here in the mountains of western North Carolina. Everyone else in the house is still asleep. Sean and Misty are down in the basement. So is Dixie, and Little Bit is asleep in his crate.

We have a big day planned to celebrate our country’s 234th birthday. Mama and Daddy will be here at noon for grilled steaks, fresh corn-on-the-cob, salad, rolls, and twice-baked potatoes. Yesterday I bought peaches for homemade ice cream. There are also two ice-cold watermelons in the basement fridge. Misty and I hope to have time to take our floats to the lake and get in the water for a while. Then tonight we will be at the dam watching the fireworks and hearing music.

Of course, we are celebrating much more than our country’s birthday. After Sean and Misty arrived yesterday, Sean handed me a copy of PC magazine and told me there was an article on pg. 34 about what he does at work. I turned to the page and there was a picture of a sonogram – of our first grandchild! I nearly brought the house down! Doug says he needs to check for structural damage after all my yelling and jumping up and down. Misty is two months pregnant and expecting the baby at the end of January.

Naturally, I couldn’t wait to spread the news so I immediately got on Face book and then sent out multiple emails. I called my sisters, and we went up the hill to tell Mama and Daddy they are going to be great-grandparents. When we talked to Cindy, we found out Blake was proposing to his girlfriend that night! So our family gatherings of twelve will soon be fourteen. Blake did propose, and she said yes. Life just keeps bringing new surprises.

Doug just got up, so I’m ready to go get my cup of coffee and bowl of shredded wheat. It’s actually too cool to eat it on the deck! The sun is coming up, though, and it will soon be warm.

One more thing about this day that I have always found quite interesting – Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on the Fourth of July, exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Fitting, don’t you think? Have a safe and happy Fourth, everyone, and don’t forget to pray for America.