A Fourth of July Abroad

I prepared the beans this morning and also some fried eggplant to bring to the church picnic. We got there about noon to a fairly large crowd. An awning was set up with folding chairs and tables under it but we preferred to sit out in the sun. It was a rare sunny day so we didn’t wait to take advantage of it.

We ate our hamburgers and hot dogs off the grill in our large lawn area that just a few months ago had been covered with snow and now was lush and green. It was the perfect day with perfect temperatures for sitting outside; sunny and not too hot nor cool.

 It also was the perfect day for discussing the storm clouds on the horizon that threaten to destroy what little American unity is left.  I had read an article that morning on how we were splitting into red and blue states with very little in common between them. The commentaries on the article showed people were very concerned and alarmed on the path our country is taking. But, like the Bible says: “If the foundations be removed, what can the righteous do?”  (Psalm 11:3)

What can the righteous do? All you can really do is be led by the Lord and trust him every day of your life…one day at a time. That’s all we are guaranteed anyway.

We watched the kids play games and talked until late into the afternoon. Then we left, ran by Aldi, grabbed some groceries and proceeded to our home around the corner in little Kindsbach. I made a light supper and then we called Tommy.

It was great to see him on Skype! He told us all about his plans to make a thriller based on the Everglades. I don’t want to tell you more or give away the plot. You’ll just have to see it when he’s done with it. Meanwhile, he filled our heads with his dreams and hopes to help us someday when he “makes it big” so we wouldn’t have to work any more.  It would be wonderful not to wonder how we would pay our bills each month.

After I got off the phone with Tommy, I went out to water the plants and heard the choir softly singing from the tiny church down the street.

“That’s right!” I thought to myself. “Its Thursday and they always practice on Thursday.”  I starred at the church a few minutes and watched as a nun made her way into the building with a large book under her arm. Was that her hymnal perhaps?

 I went back in to do my dishes piling up in the sink.

Next, I called my Mom. That was almost an hour on the phone hearing about all her struggles and problems. But she was in good spirits and so was I and we both swapped stories of our past week.

Finally, the sun went down around 10:00 and the fireworks began around 10:30 at the Base. You could just barely see them through the trees. I tried to take a picture of it but it didn’t turn out.

That’s it. Our first Fourth of July abroad. It felt different in another country. And I felt like I was celebrating what America USED to be.

The America of today doesn’t need celebrating as much as it needs our prayers!

Happy Independence Day!