Tomorrow is the fourth of July. I remember a family trip back when my father was alive and we spent the entire night on a quest to find a fireworks show in a small town. We ended up finding America.
We had gone up to Colorado and had a late start coming back. We were still hours away from our home in Albuquerque and ended up in a small town. I honestly don't remember where. We were going to spend the night, but we might as well see the town's firework's show. The problem was, we didn't know where it was.
It was starting to get dark. My Dad was driving. Every time we saw a single rocket's red glare. My Dad would turn the car in that direction. "That must be it." By the time we got to the rocket's presumed launching pad, there would be no one around.
And then we would hear another . . .
The fourth time it happened, we heard a few rockets go off and then police sirens. "That definitely must be it."
When we arrived at the site, it turned out to be police arresting some kids for setting off illegal fireworks. My mom asked the police where the main show was, the officer replied that it had been canceled. He wasn't sure whether it was because of finances or because of drought.
We looked around the neighborhood. It was a little bit scary.
Dejected, my Dad decided that we would make it home that night after all.
I was about to cry.
And yet at midnight, when I finally got home, the lights of my hometown looked a little bit brighter that night. While searching for radio stations, my Dad found one playing the Star Spangled banner. You've heard of the Grinch who stole Christmas? After the Grinch stole all the Christmas toys, the residents of Whoville still had their Christmas spirit. For some reason, I felt the same feeling about Independence Day at that moment. Even without fireworks, I still felt that American spirit.
Happy Independence Day everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment