Independence Day--Perfect Time For A Fanily Story

As the Fourth of July week-end dawns, you might think back to Independence Day celebrations in your childhood or perhaps your early married years. Families tend to gather on holidays, and when that happens, stories occur, too.

Let your 2010 holiday agenda trigger your memories and take time to jot them down. You needn't write the story immediately, although I find it's better if I do it as soon as possible when something triggers a memory of years ago.

Surely everyone has a firecracker story to tell, or how they decorated their bikes with red, white, and blue crepe paper. Part of it was to show patriotism, but mostly it was just great fun to do that once every year.

How about the family picnics, the community parades you may have either watched or participated in? Wasn't it a thrill to see marching bands playing songs that belonged to our entire nation? Still is in 2010 as far as I'm concerned.

Did you have big fireworks displays put on by your community, or were your fireworks strictly a family activity like mine?

Were politicians prominent in your town's Fourth of July celebrations? Or was it a day to forget politics and have a good time with friends and family?

Did your family fly an American flag in the yard or on the house? Or did you come from a family that gave little attention to America's birthday? Maybe your parents were immigrants and you can tell what the holiday meant to them.

Answer these questions I've posed, and you'll have a story to add to your Family Memoires Album. Pack it with emotion as well as description. We're a land of holidays to celebrate, and you can write about each and every one of them.