Freedom

That's what it is all about. Free to fight for freedom.
The Fourth of Ju-Christmas comes but once a year. The Duke family has strong traditional rites for the Fourth of July. It is as fondly thought of as Christmas, hence the name. We gather for a grand parade in the town with one of the largest celebrations in the country. We bbq, play, swim, scone, and firework. We've added to that a bit. We like to watch the hot air balloon race. This year, we went on the third. We arrived in time to watch the last lift off of the day. With the best cinnamon rolls I've ever made in hand, we sat and watched. The glory of the morning burst over the mountains. Talk about great lighting. The host announced a young boy had been lost..oh wait he is on the field. I watched a tiny little boy run across a huge field to a dad who ran across the other half and then scooped the boy up in his arms. It couldn't have been staged better. I cried. Fear and sadness melted into joy and relief. You should have seen it.

We went to the festival downtown and were given free balloons from the Rock Church. John was devastated when his floated away. Seth laughed. The tiny blue dot in the sky is the balloon. Gratefully, the landscapers gave Sam a balloon, and I passed it to John. I'd rather advertize for them anyway. John took 3-4 hour naps for a few days, the girls were exhausted. What better way to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy because of the sacrifice of others then to spend it with family.