the 4th

I often tell Alex, “You can work Christmas, you can work Thanksgiving, you can work any other holiday on the calendar but you absolutely, positively, must always take the 4th of July off work.” It is, to me, one of the most special days of the year. Because it’s summer, and y’all know how I feel about PNW summers. Because there are parades and kids grabbing all the candy they can. And lakes with the sound of laughter bouncing off the water. And the smell of bbq from nearly every street in town. Because our people gather and everyone brings a dish to share and the dinner meal just always works out perfectly even though we don’t plan it out all that much. Because we play so hard we can barely make it home with our eyes open after the fireworks.

Days like the 4th of July are rare, and to me, they are sacred.

Because grace abounds when you gather with gratitude.