GHOSTS OF JULY 4 PAST

“These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:37-38)

This weekend, I’m thinking of “The Ghosts of July 4 Past”!

“Long past?” in the words and spirit of Ebeneezer Scrooge; no MY past.

It may surprise some of you to learn that my favorite holidays are Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Patriots Day, and Easter in that order. (I realize Patriots Day is only a holiday in Massachusetts and Maine. It’s the day the Boston Marathon runs, and I just love it!) Thanksgiving is a great day for family, food, and football, PLUS thanking God, of course, and there’s none of that pressure to buy gifts, etc. Easter is technically not a LEGAL holiday, but we remember the Resurrection of Jesus Christ which is actually even more important than His birth. Fourth of July- well, it’s Independence Day. There’s nothing really “religious” or spiritual about it, except in a very loose sense. But it’s a day to appreciate the country we live in, its heritage, and enjoy family, food, fellowship, fireworks, and fun!

Most of the time when I was a kid my mom didn’t like Fourth of July because my father usually had to work “Holiday road enforcement” with the Registry of Motor Vehicles. There are a COUPLE of years he DIDN’T have to work, as I recall. One was when I was VERY little. Dad still had the 1948 Chrysler convertible...blue with a black top and Scottish plaid interior! I think he got rid of that car around early 1961, so I must be remembering July 4 of 1959 or 1960. The town of Sharon used to have a spectacular fireworks show. I was so little and so tired that I remember being carried half asleep into the car for the ride home. Another year he was not working I was around 10. Dad had gotten a bunch of illegal fireworks. Dad, his older brother Raymond, and us kids were lighting off fireworks in the back yard. Some neighbors had to have called the cops, because a Canton police car showed up and the cop yelled at us, “Hey, NO FIREWORKS!!”

In 1967. my father had to work “Holiday road enforcement” but Uncle Raymond and Aunt Milly took my mom, my siblings and me to the Needham fireworks show. We had to park on a side street and walk quite a distance to the area where the show was. Uncle Raymond was VERY bald...like Mr. Clean! Aunt Milly was a very emotional and vocal person. On the way back to the cars after the show, there were huge crowds. It would be easy to get separated or lost. Aunt Milly was worried about that so she kept yelling over and over, “Follow the BALD HEAD!!” Over forty years later, I still laugh about, “Follow the BALD HEAD!!”

In the early days of our marriage back in the 1980s, Mary Ann and I used to join our friends John and Kathy Ventresco and their kids to watch the Needham July 4 parade. At the time, there were several Egyptian families who attended the church we attended in Walpole. One Egyptian was a very smart and successful engineer whose first name was Sinote. No kidding, at each Needham parade there was a guy selling balloons who looked EXACTLY like Sinote! His double! The thing that made it funny, is Sinote wouldn’t have been caught dead selling balloons, and here was his double at a parade selling balloons! Each year, John and I would laugh and yell, “It’s Sinote!!” Our wives would get quite embarrassed and tell us to be quiet. I think I may have bought flags or balloons from “Sinote”.

A number of years ago, our family began attending the Natick Fourth of July parade. In the early days, “Sinote” was ALSO there selling balloons, but I have not seen that guy for probably at least nine years. I did write a blog piece a couple of years ago about a guy who yelled at Rachel and me for “sitting on his property” to watch the parade. (We’ve avoided that guy’s house like the plague since then!) We usually see the Rev. Rich Hurst driving his Dad’s 1939 Ford convertible. Last year, Rich gave Rachel and me a ride in the car when the parade was over. I’m not assigned to work on Monday so we plan to go to the parade again this year. (They have the parade on July 5 when the holiday falls on a Sunday.)

Speaking of Sunday, I remember that on Sunday, July 4, (I THINK 1993) Carsten Shaw was born. The Shaws were an active family at First Assembly of God of Framingham at the time. We used to have July 4 services outdoors. I remember somebody getting a cell phone call about the birth (cell phones were rare then). Everybody cheered and was very excited. (Incidentally, Carsten is a girl. I think her Dad named her after a brand of golf clubs. Her middle name is Daye for the special Day she was born!)

I remember watching many Natick fireworks shows at the old Natick mall. Since they built the Natick Collection and all the high end condos there’s no place for the fireworks shows. I miss them. One year, Oldies 103.3 put on a special show before the fireworks, featuring the late “Austin of Boston” D.J. We had a lot of fun. Last year, I presented each person who came to church on Fourth of July weekend with a copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. I miss pastoring on Fourth of July weekend!

I do love this holiday! I am grateful to live in this country. And, I cherish memories such as “Follow the BALD HEAD!!”