The Last July 4th

Independence Day...July 4th.  The day of declaration:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--"  (My emphasis on ALL.)

 Here I am at the shore for one last July 4th, with my family. For me, for us, it will be the last as the house will officially be on the market tomorrow.  (And already, without any showings, there have been two offers:  one laughable and one worth considering.)  While I was anxious (and I still am a little), I am confident that due to the talents of our agent, that within the week I will have made the decision as to who will be the next owner of this property which has been in my family since before I was married.  (1995 to be exact.)

 Knowing that our/my time at this place was coming to a close, I wanted to be here for this day.  As I was last year, just after my father died.  As I sort of was the year before that...coming as far south as the hospital where my mother was, spending several hours with her on what would be her last July 4th, before heading to North NJ.  (She died 5 days later...with my hand in hers.)

 Not unlike last year (which was extremely odd), this holiday has been strangely quiet.  I had expected much more noise from the neighbors.  Loud revelry and heavy drinking.  Perhaps it is too early?  However, around it here, it seems, that it is NEVER too early.  There has been little shouting.  There has been little crazy.  However, the day is young and there is still much time for drinking and the reckless setting off of fireworks.  (Will someone get so inebriated that they jump from the roof balcony into the pool or the lagoon?  It hasn't happened yet, but my mother always feared it would.  I don't particularly want it to happen while I am still in residence.)

 I did go up for the raising of the flag raising ceremony by the beach.  Last year I just couldn't handle it.  This year I went; meeting my son and his girlfriend, who were already at the beach, but who left to check out the bagpipers, the veteran's motorcycle brigade, the fly over, the local veteran's salute and the raising of the flag while the national anthem played.  (No live singing this year.)  It is meaningful, moving (in its own way) and for me sad.  (I can remember my dad being part of the veteran's group.)  It was also where my son's girlfriend bumped into her former guidance counselor.  (It IS a small world.)

 And of course, I watched 1776.  (Or parts of it...I've watched parts of it at least 3 times over the past several days.)  It never fails to move me.  While it is not completely historically accurate it comes darned closed.  (Consider this passage from the show:  Edward Rutledge: [In the final vote for Independence, Rutledge wants the slavery clause removed from the Declaration, or else he will vote against independence] Well, Mr. Adams?

 "John Adams: Well, Mr. Rutledge.

 "Edward Rutledge: [stands] Mr. Adams, you must believe that I *will* do what I promised to do.

 "John Adams: [stands and approaches him] What is it you want, Rutledge?

" Edward Rutledge: Remove the offending passage from your Declaration.

 "John Adams: If we did that, we would be guilty of what we ourselves are rebelling against.

 "Edward Rutledge: Nevertheless... remove it, or South Carolina will bury, now and forever, your dream of independence.

 "Dr. Benjamin Franklin: John? I beg you consider what you're doing.

 "John Adams: Mark me, Franklin... if we give in on this issue, posterity will never forgive us.

 "Dr. Benjamin Franklin: That's probably true, but we won't hear a thing, we'll be long gone. Besides, what would posterity think we were? Demi-gods? We're men, no more no less, trying to get a nation started against greater odds than a more generous God would have allowed. First things first, John. Independence; America. If we don't secure that, what difference will the rest make?"

 These men were able to create a new nation.  The nation that I reside in.  They were good men in some ways, and not so good in others.  After all, they were mortal men, not Gods.  (Although history has sometimes tried to set them up as such.)  They fought.  They disagreed.  They compromised.  And in the end, they made it work. 

 As imperfect as they were, they declared independence from a king, a tyrant.  And as things stand today, we still stand, independent.  Relying on leaders that we elect to follow the will of "we, the people."  Or to quote from another wonderful movie, Dave, "I think there are certain things you should expect from your president. I had to care more about you than I do about me. I had to care more about what's right than I do about what's popular."  (Something ALL of our elected officials should follow.)

 Today is my last Independence Day...at the shore.  Next year I will be somewhere else.  Where, I'm not exactly certain.  But I am grateful for the time that I have had here.  The time that I've had with my family.  The time that I've had with friends.  And I can only hope that whatever the future brings, that the next July 4th we will all still remember:  "that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."