A 4th of July to Remember – Part 3

Good morning, FFFs,

(And no, that's not Five Fall Favorites.)

How has your week been? Mine's been good. Not as busy and stuff as last week with the 4th and a picnic on Saturday. I've gotten a lot of writing done this week which has been good. I now have two Christmas stories finished and a 3rd started. Well, one of those first 2 hasn't been edited yet, but I did reach the end of the story. :) "Lawrence & Lenexa" is coming right along. And so is my secret project.

I've also been working on getting our final bloggers for the Five Fall Favorite blog party. Yeah, I know, that doesn't happen until October, but we have to give everyone time to pick their books and write their blog posts.

I feel as though there should be other things I need to get done, but I'm having trouble remembering what they are. :P Oh, well.

Oh, I do have more audio books in the works! "Hymns in the Hills," "Stories Through the Seasons," "His Law is Love," and "TCR-4" are all in the works.

Okay, here's the final part of this 4th of July story. Let me know what you think of it.

A 4th of July to Remember

Part 3

    But at last Mr. Lewis returned to the mic. “There is one more special person who is going to share with you this evening. Most of you already know Al Wu, but this week he and his family experienced something that I don’t think any of us have ever had to go through. And I want him to tell you about it.” He turned toward the door. “Al?”

    Stepping up to the microphone, Mr. Wu shook his head and adjusted the stand. “I have never spoken to a crowd this large before. Actually, I don’t think I’ve spoken to a crowd at all.”

    A ripple of laughter went through the listeners at his words but hushed again as he cleared his throat.

    “My name is Al Wu, for those who do not know me. My wife, Mei, and son, Eric, are down there somewhere. This week the three of us and our unborn baby went to the the courthouse. No, we were not in trouble. Many other people were there too. It was an event that forever changed our lives. There we became citizens of the United States of America. I–”

    He wasn’t able to say anything else, for cheers and applause drowned out any words he might have said.

    When the crowd quieted, Mr. Wu continued. “To those of you who have grown up here in America, you do not know the joy I have in my heart right now. You have not lived in a country where your pastor was taken away to prison for teaching his congregation of Jesus. You’ve never lived where you must be very careful what you say to others, and where you can not go to church freely without fear. You have not been told you can only have one child.

    “Here we can openly and with joy welcome our little one when she comes. We can teach our son to love his country and honor God. We can have a say in who will govern us by voting. The years I have lived here in America I have dreamed of the day when I too could vote in your elections. Now, thank God, I can! My wife can. And, in about eight years, our son can.”

    This brought laughter from those listening, and several heads turned to smile at Eric.

    “We are not just free from fear, from persecution, from pressure to do what the government decides we should do, but we have liberty! Liberty to teach the truth to our children, to gather together as friends, to worship, to pray, to work, to serve. I saw a quote by one of your, no, our presidents–” he smiled as he corrected his mistake. “He said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.’ And, my friends, I feel that longing to do something for my country here,” he placed his hand over his heart, “in my heart. To you this feeling might be old; it might not have ever stirred, but to me, to my wife, and I hope, to my son, this liberty stirs my heart. It was paid for by the blood of many, many lives who died to defend it, and still it lives on. With liberty and justice for all.” His voice broke, and he looked up into the evening sky. It was still light, and not a cloud was to be seen. “This is my country.” He drew a quick breath. “Land that I love.” He paused, hesitated, and then turned and walked away from the mic.

    For a moment the crowd below was quiet, then the applause started and the cheers rang across the countryside.

    It was an evening the Wu family never forgot, for after Mr. Lewis had dismissed everyone, friends new and old gathered around the family and welcomed them with smiles and congratulations. In the middle of talking with Mrs. Lewis, Mei suddenly pressed a hand over her stomach and gasped.

    “Mei?” Mrs. Lewis asked anxiously. “Is it the baby?”

    “Yes. The baby–I need my husband.”

    One of the other ladies disappeared, and a moment later Al was beside her. “We will leave Eric here and go to the hospital,” he told her.

*

    From her room in the hospital, Mei cradled the small baby in her arms and looked out the window. She could see fireworks now and then, even though it was almost midnight.

    “I think,” the nurse said softly, “that your little one wanted to celebrate her birthday in a big way every year.” And she smiled down at the baby.

    After the nurse had left the room, Mei looked down at the sleeping baby as Al gently took off the pink hat. Tiny bits of black hair covered the baby’s round head. “She’s so tiny and perfect. Our little American baby.”

    A tap came on the room door, and Al left the bed to let Eric in. He motioned him to the bed. “Go meet your sister,” he whispered. Then he noticed Mr. and Mrs. Lewis in the hallway. “Come meet the newest addition to the American family.”

    Though they protested, he insisted and led them into the room.

    Mei smiled at them as she placed the baby in Eric’s arms.

    “What’s her name?” Eric asked, not taking his eyes off the sleeping face of his little sister.

    “Ann Liberty Wu.”

    “What a lovely name,” Mrs. Lewis exclaimed softly, leaning over to look at the baby.

    “We had to name her Ann,” Al said. At the inquiring looks, he explained, “If you take the first letter of my name and Mei’s. And add Eric’s name and Ann, only with one N, what do you have?”

    “American,” Mei answered when the others remained puzzled. “She is our first born American baby. And she shares the birthday of our new country. Together our family has struggled, prayed, hoped, and dreamed, and now at last we are Americans. This little one,” and Mei gently brushed her daughter’s cheek with her finger, “is our reminder of everything.”

    The baby stretched and opened her hand. Mr. Wu placed the stick of a small American flag in it, and the baby gripped it tightly. Outside the distant boom and pop of fireworks echoed, and bright colors, sparkling and shining, lit the night sky on that memorable 4th of July.

How has your week been?

Did you enjoy this story?

Are you excited about the upcoming FFF party?