DYNAMITE AND POTATO SALAD

What do music, laughter, food, firecrackers, and people have in common? One heck of a holiday, that's what. Where else can you stuff yourself silly, blow up wads of paper with dynamite, and visit with people you love?


I remember playing with firecrackers as a child (and some of the stupid things we did with them). My Uncle blew off half his shoe with one. Honest ‘Ingin’. We used to throw them in the backyard, under passing cars, and light them under handfuls of dirt. Not a smart thing to do I'll admit. (Sort of a hint to keep an eye on your kids this holiday!)

Fourth of July for my family usually constitutes a family reunion: Aunts, Uncles, Babies, Brothers, Sisters and tons of food. But the gathering for me is never complete until I hear Grandma's gracious chuckle fill the air. (Her laughter makes you feel great and just happens to be contagious.) Most families have one or two relatives who seem to make or break a holiday. I'm pretty lucky, I have wonderful memories of Fourth of July's past.

Memories are wonderful things. Quite selective you know. If think about it, you don't remember how many bugs bit you, or how bad your sunburn was, or how awful the cousins were with each other. But you do remember laughing at practical jokes, playing horseshoes and scrabble, and eating everything in sight.

Strong memories like these are what traditions are made of. If a family liked visiting at a reunion last Fourth of July, then a reunion it will be this Fourth. If they didn't like being together, the tradition will wane and then die out. Funny thing, tradition, if it isn't cultivated for the next generation, it isn't a tradition anymore.