This weekend marks the true beginning of summer. Last year,everything was shut down. Playgrounds were closed , restaurants were for the most part closed and many of us stayed home as much as possible. There was little travelling for any of us, and for me, no way to cross the border to get to my summer home in Canada. In a way, I enjoyed the quiet of last year even though most of the world was fighting to keep the dreaded virus away, terrified that we might be next to succumb to it. The quiet however, gave us a chance to think, to catch up on reading, and to form a bubble of close friends or family. Now all that has changed and we are once again caught up in the hurry of daily life.

The pandemic shut down everything and forced us to rethink our lives. We are emerging from the cocoon that we have all been living in, daring to go to restaurants, and often going to stores without masks. It has been a liberating experience for most of us.
Did we rethink our lives? Somehow I doubt it. Where once the streets have been quiet, highways are again congested; stores are crowded with people jostling each other to be first in line at the counter or to be the first seated in the restaurant.

Today, as I write this is July first, — Canada’s birthday and usually their celebration is similar to ours. As a child, growing up there, I remember the delight I took in watching the sky rockets erupt in the midair and hearing the boom as their colors painted the sky with thousands of flashes. When I moved to United States, my early summers were spent at my cottage in Canada. We usually arrived before July 1, just in time to be part of Canada’s events. The sound of the explosives could be heard all over the lake and often we were lucky enough to view them from someone’s deck or dock. I was proud of my Canadian heritage and happy to be there for Canada Day. Canada Day, 2021 is different as people mourn the recent revelations of unmarked graves at former residential schools in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. To many there, this day is not one of happiness and pride but one of grief and anger.

Last year, because of Covid, Independence Day never happened. Soon the country will once again be able to embrace the usual festivities. It’s a time of family reunions, picnics, barbeques and partying— a time to fly The American flag to show pride in the country.Two years ago, we enjoyed the evening on the Susquehanna River watching the fireworks and gorging on food from one of the many food trucks. This year we’ll probably do the same.

For a few years, John and I went to Pittsburgh, a place renowned for July fourth events. Our time there was always wonderful, as we joined the crowds to listen to live music performances and savor the food at one of the many stands at Point State Park. There were boat regattas and breathtaking Airforce flyovers. The highlight of the whole day ended with the 30 minute Flashes of Freedom fireworks show — one of the most incredible displays I have ever seen.

My First fourth of July:

Excerpt from Journey Through Fire and Ice: “Today is the fourth of July. There will be some festivities this afternoon, maybe some games and races. I look out the window to see if some flags are flying but there are none in sight. Two old ladies are wandering around town dressed in red, white and blue.
Tiger tells me not to expect fireworks. “There would be no point,” he says. “It’s light all the time. And one little spark could ignite one of the houses.” He doubts that anyone here has ever seen fireworks. They are missing out on an incredible experience I know they would enjoy.”

I can still remember that day 57 years later. There was a three legged race for the children as well as a wheel barrow race. And then the women were asked to race. Tiger pushed me to the crowd of contenders —fat women, young women, old women and pregnant women. I raced with all of them, not coming in first but I was far from last. Suddenly joining in with their fun, I felt as though I were slowly becoming a part of the village and as the midnight sun warmed us, I realized what a great adventure I was having.

I was lucky to have experienced my first fourth of July with a group of people who had always been part of this great land. They were there long before United States as we know it today was discovered. Some of their children as well suffered after being sent to the lower forty eight boarding schools.There have not been any stories as grievous as those in Canada, and yet some of the children’s experiences in these boarding schools were traumatic.Despite this,the people in Kivalina celebrated the birth of the nation although they had been there long before its beginning.

Enjoy the holiday. God bless America.