Andrews NC is just a tiny mountain village, but we always have the most outrageously wonderful and patriotic celebration of being extracted from that U.K. tyranny that would strip unalienable rights endowed not by any changeable government but by our Creator.
The show is just over the way but effectively right over the rectory. Although I still have the remains of viral pneumonia, I did do the blessing, and afterwards went back to bed. The doctor said I should do some small things, but then go back to bed. Doing small things, he said, will actually help the recovery.
Seeing every single day multiple instances of political hatred of America both near and far, this celebration wrought by good friends in the fire department was an encouragement, healing. There are really a lot of really good people in these USA. Remember, patriotism is a virtue. Saint Thomas Aquinas speaks about it at length as part of the virtue of piety.
It was a terrible fight this year to keep this tradition going, but we have the right guys to force it through. ;-)
That’s not true in all cities:
As a kid my dad and mom would bring me to MLB games, the Minnesota Twins in the World Series with the Baltimore Orioles, you know, Harmen Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Rod Carew… We did up the iconic tailgating, which at the time referred not to road rage but to partying down in the parking lots of such events with the back of the station wagon opened up!
As a family, we would also sit high up on the steep banks of the Mississippi in Minnesota to watch the 4th of July fireworks.
Had those fireworks been combined for a night game some 65 miles away, with me as a patriotic 5 year old eagerly waiting for the fireworks, only to have some elitist Democrat cancel the fireworks because of a noise curfew, well, I think I would have made some noise, and I would have made a lifelong commitment never to vote for any anti-God, anti-American Democrat, not ever, not even once. Never. I mean, they encourage the noise of screams of bloody murder, rape, arson, assault that we’ve all witnessed these past Summers.
The Democrats are not about politics. They wouldn’t lower themselves to that. Instead, they are all about subversive terrorism to rid these USA of the Constitution and the Constitutional amendments. They want to change USA to DSA, the Divided States of America.
Meanwhile, much stronger than any disgust about Dems and Deep State idiocy of our agencies and bureaus and departments, much stronger than any of that is an unfailing patriotism.
- Our fireworks were an occasion to have a deep sense of family with these USA.
- Our fireworks were an occasion to have a deep sense of gratitude for presently enjoying in some measure the unalienable rights endowed by our Creator. I was letting Hail Marys fly to heaven. It’s a good and holy thing to pray for one’s country. If they are things to fix, well, let’s have some prompt eagerness to fix them, you know, like ensuring a proper vote. Let’s begin with a prayer to God for America, you know, a prayer with Kate Smith:
ARISE! LET US BE GOING! 
Great blog! Glad you are getting better!