July 4th

The 185th day of 2019 is Independence Day.  So what does that mean?  It means that 7/4/19, like most July 4ths started with the Oaklyn Town July 4th Parade.  I love this parade, it is pure small town happiness.  Bands, Fire Trucks, Floats (many from Oaklyn Little League), candy thrown to kids waving to the parade, and it ends at the School with a short presentation and hot dogs, chips, and a drink for all!  Then we had, for as many years in a row as I can remember, the July 4th BBQ.  Used to be the Sherr/Schafer BBQ by the Art Museum in Philadelphia (where we could see the fireworks from our roof deck) and now we have the Sherr BBQ hosted here in Oaklyn (where we can see the fireworks from our lawn).  It was another great time, friends from all spheres of our lives, good food, lawn games, fireworks, glow bracelets, and even sparklers and colored smoke this year.  I am grateful for July 4th, and all of the fun traditions that come along with it.  But I am also aware that the celebration, at least for me, is tempered by the things this country is doing for which I am not proud.  I am proud to be an American, and proud of the freedoms that many of us have.  But I am not proud of many of the atrocities this country perpetuates and I wish the freedoms we celebrate were truly available to all.  I have hope for the future, and I pray that my idyllic view will some day come true (or at least truer than it is now).  Happy Fourth, Everyone!

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