Reliving the Fourth

My patriotic spirits ran especially high in July of 2006. I was reading David McCullough's excellent book about our founding father, John Adams, and as far as I knew, all was well in my little corner of the world. On the evening of the Fourth, I settled into my new patio swing, determined to finish the book before the dawn's early light. Colin and Shane were out with their friends, Dan was tinkering around on the computer in the family room, and Jordan was out in the game room, the pleasant sound of his music occasionally drifting through the open sliding glass door to my appreciative ears. From time to time, he'd wander out onto the patio and sit beside me on the swing for awhile, describing the colors of the distant neighborhood fireworks we heard going off all around us, or just talking. The night was beautiful, quiet now, peaceful and still. The air was warm, perfectly comfortable, a deep sense of contentment surrounded me, and I felt no need for sleep.. So on the patio I stayed, all night. At sunrise, Jordan came out for another chat, describing the shyest shades of pink, peache, and violet, transforming into bright bold stripes and swirls of red, orange, and [purple. This is a gift I will always treasure. It was the last Fourth of July I was ever able to spend with my son Jordan, and in a few weeks, he would be leaving to begin his life with Brianna in China. He felt he had to keep it a secret from us, afraid we would somehow prevent him from going. His unexpected departure, though hard to bear at the time, turned out to be a very good move, a blessing, for all concerned. For Jordan, because he made many friends there and got to learn about another culture, and most of all, because he and Brianna were married and had almost a year and a half of living on their own together there. I have never seen a young couple who were so in love as they were, and who enjoyed each other's company so much. Their marriage also made it possible for Brianna to become a legal resident of this country, and she says she greatly prefers living here to living in China. She was an angel of mercy to him during his last five months upon this earth. Whether He gets credit for it or not, I believe Heavenly Father's hand was in the details. After Jordan was taken from us, it was an immense comfort to be able to assist her as she gradually regained her footing and made her way along a new path. We cried together, we laughed together, in a way we were even sort of reborn together. In many ways, we are no longer the people we were on that July Fourth. The question is, are we better than we were then? I hope so, but ulltimately, I await my Father's judgment on that matter.

This Fourth finds me again reading a book about the Revolutionary War. It's called Stories of Georgia, and it's by Joel Chandler Harris, bettr known for his Uncle Remus stories. Last year we were in Denver, having dinner and doing fireworks with Greg and his three little kittens, and Penny and Neil. Two years ago, Brianna and I went walking through the neighborhood just to have something to do. It was a dark time despite the rockets' red glare. The year before that, Dan and Shane and I drove the 10 or 15 miles to Eagle Island State Park and watched the big fireworks display out there. We talked about bringing Jordan and Brianna there with us next summer. At that time, the summer of 2007, they were already applying for a visa for Brianna, and looking to enroll at Boise State University in the fall of 2008. Just goes to show, you never know what the next year will bring. So, make sure to have a happy Independence Day this year, July 4th, 2010, and let your children, well everyone in your family, know how much you love them!