Happy late Independence Day!
I hope you had a lovely 4th of July. (Even those who live outside the US.) I mowed in the morning. The yard looks so much nicer when it's just been mowed. Who mows the yard at your house? I didn't do a whole lot, read some, and did a few things. But I did write. My mom had suggested I write 1776 words on the 4th. So that was my goal. And I did it! I had to stop in the middle of a sentence, but I reached 1776 words, which was fun! :) I could have gone out to watch the city's fireworks last night with my best friend, but I didn't really want to go out in the heat and humidity again. So I just watched the neighbors' fireworks out the windows, and then went to bed.
The rest of the week has been pretty normal. We haven't done any babysitting, and I don't think we will since we'll be going to some friends' house on Saturday for a church picnic/4th of July party.
But as far as writing goes, this is the first week of Camp NaNo, and I'm already being told that I'll finish on the 7th of July. :P I guess I need to up my goal. I had made it only 10k since I will be gone for a week this month. However, I've already written over 6k words. We have a great group of girls in the cabin this month and almost all of them have gotten something written.
But anyway, here's the next part of this story. I hope you enjoy it. It will end next week.
A 4th of July to Remember
Part 2
It was a busy morning in the Wu home. After breakfast was eaten, and the family had read the Bible together and prayed, there were dishes to wash, and food to prepare for the large get together a family from church was having. Mei was thankful the family were neighbors and lived just down the road. She didn’t feel like driving very far.
Al disappeared onto the back porch to work on the speech he was to give that evening at the gathering.
As for Eric, he rushed here and there, now helping his mom, now running up to get something from his room, and finally getting permission to ride his bike to the Lewis’s to help them get ready for the company.
“You call when you arrive so I will not worry about you,” Mei instructed him, handing him her cell phone.
“Sure. Okay, Mom.” Eric’s smile was wide, and his eyes sparkled with the excitement of the day. Quickly his put on his helmet and mounted his bicycle. “Call if you need me to come back and help.”
Standing on the porch, Mei waved. “I will. Be helpful there or come home.” She sank onto the porch swing and watched Eric pedal up the country road. “A country as grand as this ought to spend a week celebrating its birthday.” Smiling to herself, she gave the swing a gentle push. “But that wouldn’t make the day as special,” she decided. “I feel like I should go to school again to learn all about the history of America. I have learned much already, but still there is much I do not know. Will either of my children grow up to do something for this their country? Something that will be remembered in the history books? Others have. Why not the son and daughter of immigrants from China?”
Al found her still on the swing some thirty minutes later. “Eric called me when you didn’t answer the house phone,” he told her.
“Oh, I forgot. I got to dreaming out here and didn’t hear it.”
Sitting down beside her, Al put an arm across the back of the swing and rubbed her shoulder with his thumb. “What were you dreaming about?”
“Our children growing up in this great land. Here they have freedom. Here they have a future.” She rested her head on his shoulder and fell silent.
There were people everywhere! Mei looked around from her chair in the shade. There were children on the swings and play-set, other children were shooting off water rockets, while a group had gathered down the hill to play baseball in the field. Earlier in the afternoon there had been relays and games for all ages. Most of the adults, young people, and children had participated in the activities to some extent, and there was much laughter and cheering.
Soon the food would be brought out and then the speeches and songs. Mei smiled to think that her husband was to give one of those speeches.
Full and tired, Mei leaned back in her chair. The food had been delicious. It had taken time, but she had grown to enjoy American food as much as the kind of food she had grown up eating. Rubbing her stomach and wincing slightly as the baby kicked hard, she smiled as Eric came over and dropped down in the chair beside her. His black hair was wet with sweat, but his smile couldn’t have been brighter.
“They said it was almost time for the speeches,” he told her before reaching for his cup of lemonade and downing the rest of it with a few large gulps. “Think I’ll get some more. You want any more, Mom?”
“No, thank you.”
Eric was soon back, and others began to gather with chairs or blankets facing the house. “Dad’s inside waiting for his turn to talk.”
“Did he seem nervous?” Mei asked anxiously.
But Eric shook his head. “No, just excited and proud. Look!” He pointed to a door on the second floor that led onto the flat roof of the porch. “I guess that’s where they’re going to give the speeches. Everyone’ll be able to see them.”
He was right. Mr. Lewis came out first and set a microphone up. “Testing, testing.” Tapping the mic he looked down at the faces. “Can you all hear?”
“Yeah!”
“Okay. Then let’s get this evening started out right. First off, thank you all for coming. I hope you’ve enjoyed the day as much as I have.”
Mei clapped with the others.
“Now I’ve asked Ed Henry, who served as a chaplain in the Army for–” he looked back over his shoulder at an elderly gentleman “–how many years? For forty-five years. I’m going to ask him to come lead us in a word of prayer and then the pledge of allegiance.”
Bowing her head, Mei Wu listened with tears in her eyes to the words of the prayer. For the first time in her life she was now a citizen in a country where men of prayer ministered and served in the armed forces. When the prayer was over, she rose to her feet and placed her right hand over her heart as her eyes turned toward the American flag flying freely on the flag pole.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America . . .”
Before anyone could sit down, the music of the Star-Spangled Banner was heard, and from every throat the stirring song filled the evening air.
The Declaration of Independence was read by someone dressed in period costume, which Mei and Eric found quite interesting as they had only seen pictures of the outfits worn during the American Revolution.
Eric leaned over after the reading was done and whispered, “I’ll bet he was hot!”
Al disappeared onto the back porch to work on the speech he was to give that evening at the gathering.
As for Eric, he rushed here and there, now helping his mom, now running up to get something from his room, and finally getting permission to ride his bike to the Lewis’s to help them get ready for the company.
“You call when you arrive so I will not worry about you,” Mei instructed him, handing him her cell phone.
“Sure. Okay, Mom.” Eric’s smile was wide, and his eyes sparkled with the excitement of the day. Quickly his put on his helmet and mounted his bicycle. “Call if you need me to come back and help.”
Standing on the porch, Mei waved. “I will. Be helpful there or come home.” She sank onto the porch swing and watched Eric pedal up the country road. “A country as grand as this ought to spend a week celebrating its birthday.” Smiling to herself, she gave the swing a gentle push. “But that wouldn’t make the day as special,” she decided. “I feel like I should go to school again to learn all about the history of America. I have learned much already, but still there is much I do not know. Will either of my children grow up to do something for this their country? Something that will be remembered in the history books? Others have. Why not the son and daughter of immigrants from China?”
Al found her still on the swing some thirty minutes later. “Eric called me when you didn’t answer the house phone,” he told her.
“Oh, I forgot. I got to dreaming out here and didn’t hear it.”
Sitting down beside her, Al put an arm across the back of the swing and rubbed her shoulder with his thumb. “What were you dreaming about?”
“Our children growing up in this great land. Here they have freedom. Here they have a future.” She rested her head on his shoulder and fell silent.
*
There were people everywhere! Mei looked around from her chair in the shade. There were children on the swings and play-set, other children were shooting off water rockets, while a group had gathered down the hill to play baseball in the field. Earlier in the afternoon there had been relays and games for all ages. Most of the adults, young people, and children had participated in the activities to some extent, and there was much laughter and cheering.
Soon the food would be brought out and then the speeches and songs. Mei smiled to think that her husband was to give one of those speeches.
*
Full and tired, Mei leaned back in her chair. The food had been delicious. It had taken time, but she had grown to enjoy American food as much as the kind of food she had grown up eating. Rubbing her stomach and wincing slightly as the baby kicked hard, she smiled as Eric came over and dropped down in the chair beside her. His black hair was wet with sweat, but his smile couldn’t have been brighter.
“They said it was almost time for the speeches,” he told her before reaching for his cup of lemonade and downing the rest of it with a few large gulps. “Think I’ll get some more. You want any more, Mom?”
“No, thank you.”
Eric was soon back, and others began to gather with chairs or blankets facing the house. “Dad’s inside waiting for his turn to talk.”
“Did he seem nervous?” Mei asked anxiously.
But Eric shook his head. “No, just excited and proud. Look!” He pointed to a door on the second floor that led onto the flat roof of the porch. “I guess that’s where they’re going to give the speeches. Everyone’ll be able to see them.”
He was right. Mr. Lewis came out first and set a microphone up. “Testing, testing.” Tapping the mic he looked down at the faces. “Can you all hear?”
“Yeah!”
“Okay. Then let’s get this evening started out right. First off, thank you all for coming. I hope you’ve enjoyed the day as much as I have.”
Mei clapped with the others.
“Now I’ve asked Ed Henry, who served as a chaplain in the Army for–” he looked back over his shoulder at an elderly gentleman “–how many years? For forty-five years. I’m going to ask him to come lead us in a word of prayer and then the pledge of allegiance.”
Bowing her head, Mei Wu listened with tears in her eyes to the words of the prayer. For the first time in her life she was now a citizen in a country where men of prayer ministered and served in the armed forces. When the prayer was over, she rose to her feet and placed her right hand over her heart as her eyes turned toward the American flag flying freely on the flag pole.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America . . .”
Before anyone could sit down, the music of the Star-Spangled Banner was heard, and from every throat the stirring song filled the evening air.
The Declaration of Independence was read by someone dressed in period costume, which Mei and Eric found quite interesting as they had only seen pictures of the outfits worn during the American Revolution.
Eric leaned over after the reading was done and whispered, “I’ll bet he was hot!”
Have you ever dressed up in colonial clothes?
How was your 4th of July?
Did you watch any fireworks last night?
3 comments:
I have dressed up in mock colonial attire, but mostly I where costumes from the War Between the States. We had to wait until Saturday for fireworks, but I had a great Independence Day! I cooked over an open fire for the first time and didn't kill anyone, so that's great, lol! My sister's family came down to visit, so it was perfect!
This story is great, by the way!
Thanks, Ryana Lynn! I'd done some dressing up in colonial clothes, but not everything they wore!
It sounds like you had a great time on Independence Day!
Glad you are enjoying this story. It ends on Friday. :)
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