Twenty Minutes of Calm Fireworks Trumps Parades, GTGs

I love the Fourth of July. It is my favorite holiday. Why?

Because it's so simple.

I wouldn’t call myself overly patriotic. I mean, I love my country, and I admire all of the amazing people that make it what it is, but I wouldn’t say it is the day’s actual purpose that makes me love it.

Instead, I think it is nearly the only holiday, all year long, that we get to spend as a family and not have to do anything other than relax.

There’s the food, for example. There is no major meal that has to be prepared. Sure, some neighborhood barbecues might come to pass, but that’s just for fun. There is no family obligation involved. You can just grill up a burger or a dog, and you’re ready to go. This mommy will take a hot dog and a cold beer over a turkey dinner any day.

There are parades, but we seldom go to one. I’ve seen a fire truck and an old car before. I guess I’m just not the kind of girl that gets excited about either.

But by far the best feeling on this particular holiday is watching the fireworks. Since we’ve moved into our house, and since we’ve had two kids, we’ve never missed the local display.

I’d say it is one of the best, but I don’t think it is likely much different from the display shown in thousands of other communities in thousands of other small towns across the nation.

What makes it the best is my family. They are the best. I love them the most, and I love that feeling, that pause of the daily chaos. We all stop what we are doing and throw out a blanket. We lie right on the ground.

We don’t work. We don’t argue. We don’t have to prepare for days. We don’t have to shop and make grocery lists. We don’t have to see family members we don’t want to. We just stop everything, and for about 20 blissful minutes each year, we stop talking. We lay back. We snuggle. We just enjoy the show.

I love that feeling. There is nothing but the sound of the fireworks, the boom of the explosions. The kids stop yelling. The phones stop ringing. It is just us.

I love my country. I’m happy that we get to celebrate our freedoms one day a year, to stop for a moment to be thankful for all we have as Americans, but, to be honest, I’m happy just to have that 20 minutes each year to soak it all in.

I love the Fourth of July. I love fireworks. I love opening a blanket, spreading it on the grass, and just relaxing. But, most of all, I love doing it all with my family.