FOURTH OF JULY MEMORIES

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,”  (Philippians 1:3)

Several years ago, I surprised a friend of mine when I told him that the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday.  He couldn’t imagine that I would choose July 4 as my favorite holiday.  His image of July 4 was of all sorts of illegal firecrackers and fireworks being set off- and other revelries.  My friend was amazed that I didn’t choose Christmas or a more “religious” holiday.  I know it pains a lot of people to hear this, but truthfully, I don’t like Christmas very much.  Now, I’m certainly thrilled about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, but He certainly was not born on Dec. 25!  Over the years, my wife and I got into more arguments over Christmas than any other issue.  We incurred more debt and financial stress over Christmas than over any other event.  As a minister, I have to put on my “game face” in December, and one would think I’m the next Bob Cratchit;  but I’m really not!   I like New Year’s Day a lot better than Christmas, BUT it means cleaning up all the Christmas stuff that’s been up less than a month, so that kind of wrecks New Year’s.  Thanksgiving IS a really good holiday, but in recent years it’s been made just another part of the Christmas season and is sort of treated as “Christmas Lite”.  

I like Independence Day.  I don’t have to shop for presents.  I don’t have to visit everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY.  I don’t have to go broke.  Since it’s a secular holiday, I don’t have to plan or participate in any special (extra) church services.  What we DO at our church for 4th of July weekend is usually a lot of fun (as it was this year).  One tradition we had as a family used to be the Natick fireworks.  This is the first year in MANY that Natick is not having a fireworks show, and I’m kind of “bummed” about that.  But I’m thrilled about the 4th of July parade.  Two of my very favorite events of the year are Patriots Day (when I watch the Boston Marathon) and the Natick Fourth of July parade.  This year’s parade is supposed to be particularly good to try to make up for there being no fireworks show.  At 8:20 a.m., Amy, Rachel and I will have our chairs set-up on Route 27 in Natick just about a quarter mile south of Natick Labs.  I’ll be drinking Honey Dew coffee and eating Honey Dew Donuts, and they’ll be drinking chocolate milk or some other cold drink. We’ve done this every year for over ten.  AND,  this year, I’ve already had several barbecues!  Each year at this time I am very grateful to have been born into this free and great country!

In thinking of Philippians 1:3, I remember watching the Bicentennial Parade in Sharon, Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon, July 4, 1976.  Can it possibly have been thirty years already?  Thank you God for another July 4!