To prepare for this year’s 4th of July and knowing that my mom, dad, and I would be at home, I wanted to find ways to make it a little festive. I looked up celebratory red, white, and blue recipes. Most of them used strawberries, which my mom cannot have. There were also the basic fruit salads using watermelon, but I wanted to do something a little more creative. Finally, I came upon a pie with blueberries and cherries in sections topped with stars and stripes pie crust. I’m not really a great pie baker, but that’s what I settled on. I made it yesterday and it turned out great. This morning my parents put on their “Navy Grandma” and “Navy Grandpa” t-shirts to appreciate my nephew and those in the military. I shared the quote from Thomas Jefferson that all men are created equal . . . I so wish everyone would agree to this one thing. I was happy to chat with my son’s family. My granddaughter showed off her wonder woman dress and told me about the clowns at the local parade. I thought that was funny because her mom is terrified of clowns. For dinner, I made a full basic BBQ meal – barbecue chicken, coleslaw, beans, and corn on the cob. Then of course, the pie served on stars and stripes plates. Our neighbor’s wife has been in the hospital, so we invited him over for the holiday meal. He was very happy to partake. He and his wife are devoted Christians and we got into some pretty deep discussions. I love how people can connect on a spiritual level. When we talked about God in our lives, even when there were no words to describe the experience it was understood. There’s really nothing like it and I was grateful for the conversation. Tonight, we heard fireworks all around, but could only see those that were on the TV news. It was a different, interesting, and enjoyable holiday.

I Found God today celebrating Independence Day.