4th of July - Happy Birthday America!

These days the 4th of July is a day of just relaxing for my family. Not that long ago this holiday meant an additional day of visiting with my husband in the prison visitation park. I especially liked it when the holiday fell near the weekend as this gave us consecutive visiting days.

Now my family is getting ready for a week long vacation (beginning Sunday) and today has been a day of last minute details. We took our boat out to test the new engine (not brand new, but new to us). Well, it wouldn't even go into "forward" gear. All we had was neutral and reverse! Smiles faded very quick like.

We reversed it back to the dock, loaded the boat up and came home.

Fortunately it was a simple fix that my husband was able to accomplish on his own. We plan to take it out for another test drive in the morning.

It is days like today that I have to remind myself what is was like when my husband was still incarcerated. I so quickly get frustrated and upset with him. I am amazed at how fast I have fallen into taking just his very presence near me for granted. I told myself (and him) when he was still in prison that I would never do that. Life is so crazy.

So as I celebrate our nation's Independence Day, I think of those families wishing their loved one could be with them to go to that BBQ, to see fire works and enjoy a day side-by-side.

GOD BLESS THE USA!!