Monday, May 25, 2009

It Went Down Main Street....


They got to do it. They got to see a parade. Since we've moved away from America it's been very important to me to instill thankfulness in my children for their beloved homeland.
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We had a curbside seat, but had to wait quite awhile for the parade to start.
So a lot of this went on.
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And I finally saw the camera I wanted. The Granddaddy of all cameras it was, indeed.
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Tristan got a blister on his foot and put his shoe to good use.
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Finally, they heralded the beginning...
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I wanted them to see two things....


Soldiers.
I explained that these were the men who saved our country and kept it America.
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This is what the parade was all about, for me.
And I pray for all the veterans who were so disabled they were not able to ride in a parade.
I wish I could thank them, every one.
It made me cry.
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And I wanted them to see the pride that Americans feel for their country. To feel the beat of the bass drum reverberate in their chest, and to understand there is a reason we call it "the land of the free and the home of the brave".
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Before we moved away, this parade may have been just a fun thing to go to. Wave a flag, look at the firetruck!
But I'll never take America for granted again.

2 comments:

Cherie said...

What a wonderful parade it was! Thanks for sharing. Those of us who live in America, I'm afraid forget what some of our holidays are all about. I used to look forward to a 3 day weekend not thinking about the meaning of the day. My Dad is an 82 year old Veteran who doesn't let us forget about the importance of those days. His was the first ship sailing into Hiroshima after the bombing. (He was still a teenager) He doesn't like to talk about things he saw there, so we don't press him on it. When I was a little girl, I remember walking with him in parades. We are fortunate to live here.

How will you celebrate the 4th of July? Hopefully you'll be somewhere where you can see a fireworks display.

Missy said...

Wow, I WISH I could shake his hand and thank him!
We might go over the border for the 4th, we tried last year and missed the parade by mere seconds!