I remember 4th of July as a kid. I have a lot of cousins and my grandparents had a large farm. We would meet for a picnic that had LOTS of food: watermelon, hotdogs, corn, baked beans, potatoe salad, cake, popsicles...I don't know how much the kids ever ate because we played so much. There were softball games and kickball, hide-and-seek, climbing the crabapple tree, walking to the pond, and anything else we thought fun at the moment. Then we stayed out late while the parents talked. We played with sparklers and caught lightning bugs. It was great. This year we had a cookout at our house with some friends and people from church. I think I can say the same for my kids: I don't know how much they ate, but they had fun playing. Then we went to the Town Commons and watched the fireworks show. We had glow sticks for the kids before the fireworks and that kept them very entertained. I loved the 4 year old's thoughts on fireworks, "WOW! It's a miracle!" Last year Hubby and I went to the WV State Fair and saw a production of Prairie Home Companion. During intermission Garrison Keillor walked through the stands and had us sing songs as a group. Monday night as we finished watching the video of Masterpiece Performances, GK did the same with that crowd. Meryl Streep was one of the guests and she was in tears before it was over. From experience I can say, it is difficult to sing America the Beautiful in a large crowd without being in tears. You have no common bond with these people, except the bond of citizenship, and it is enough to unite you. May God shed His grace on us all. Happy Birthday, America.