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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsA couple of 4th of July stories.
The first one is back in 2011. It was the 4th right after the tornado. I was in bad shape emotionally. Dave tried to cheer me up by using what we dared spare on some of those really small happy fountains.
Well, seeing what he was trying to do, some of the volunteers that came to town to help got into the game. Next thing I knew we had a display that rivaled the one that was going on across town. Some even went and got some BBQ and other goodies. It was a regular All American blowout, everyone coming together to celebrate and looking to the future.
The next was 2012 here in Tucson. Dave was in the VA hospital and I was out on the street. Many of the other homeless Vets already was looking out for me due to Dave.
Due to missing Dave and worry so much over him, they decided I needed to have fun. We all went to an area where we could watch the fireworks off Mt. A. It was a deserted area. The reason was for what some brought with them. Some brought food, some scraped together some for a bottle and a little weed. So we all ate and drank and got a little high. Many even started to sing their branches anthems. We all broke out with the Star Spangled Banner!
These last two Fourth of Julys will always stay with me.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)I was on the command boat for the 4th of July fireworks display.
My second ex-husband's business was working with the NYC company who had the contract that year. It took weeks to assembly the barges in Hoboken so they could be outfitted with explosives and receivers to fire 'em. Everything went smoothly. No one was hurt. It was perfect ... well almost. One of the barges malfunctioned. Nothing fired from that one. It was unloaded the next day.
The pyrotechnic engineers were an interesting group. To say the very least.
Lady Freedom Returns
(14,120 posts)Lady Freedom Returns
(14,120 posts)MiddleFingerMom
(25,163 posts).
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Like I quoted to someone else with a positive outlook DESPITE serious adversity:
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"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because
thorn bushes have roses." -- Abraham Lincoln .
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Lady Freedom Returns
(14,120 posts)Those volunteers did not have to be there. They did not have to come from across the country to help. I am sure they had families they would have rather been with. But there they were, people they did not know.
And then here are these Vets. They served this nation, yet now looked at by some as rift-raft. But here they were celebrating the 4th and still being heroes to a very lonely, scared little lady.