The Fourth of July is our Nation's birthday. It was our Declaration of Independence from Britain and the birth of the United States of America.
I have so many thoughts about what this means to us today. None of these thoughts are really well-formed or deep. I do know that we are given freedom in so many ways, but with that comes the responsibility to take care of our country. It means caring for those we love and even those we don't love or don't even know, but to love them through mutual respect.

To me, this means respecting my fellow Americans by ONLY shooting fireworks on the 4th of July. It means wearing my mask when I go out in public and staying 6 feet away from my neighbors. It means educating myself on what black history really means and why it's important to take down statues that represent oppression. It means teaching my children to listen with respect and empathy to those that have different opinions and that it doesn't mean you still can't be friends but you can learn to love through our differences.

But for my family, it meant coming together with my ex-husband and my husband and our 3 boys and some of our friends in the local church parking lot to shoot off some explosives. Reza is my chief pyro and Ethan isn't far behind. This year we learned that Luke is sure to follow in his big brothers' footsteps.

Fireworks make me nervous when my boys shoot them off, but I've learned to let go of this fear. We have taught them to be safe. I personally LOVE the big displays of fireworks but only get to see them every few years because the church parking lot allows more freedom for the kids.

Here are some of my photos from that night. I hope that you enjoy it. And God bless America!

FOURTH OF JULY

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