Holiday Memories And A Little Magic

"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better."
-Albert Camus

I've always tried to take my kids to see fireworks on the 4th.
But with last summer being my first with MS, and it being the hottest summer in existence (atleast to me) we didn't make it and I can't tell you how sad I was to miss it.
When I was a little girl, my parents would always take me to the next town over to the festivities at this huge park. They had carnival rides, food vendors, and an orchestra that would play patriotic music while you waited for it to get dark enough for the fireworks to start.
I always knew it was time when my mom would lay out my favorite old quilt on the grass and my father would say "Ok boogitt (that was his nickname for me because I loved to dance or "boogie", if you will) it's time to get ready." Then he and I would lay down on the quilt and stare up at the sky.
When the fireworks started, it looked like they were bursting right over our heads. My favorites were the ones that had the little sparkles that would rain down and they always looked like they were going to land right on us.
Two years ago, the summer before my diagnosis, I took my monkeys to my hometown for the holiday and we went to the same park and, when it came time for the fireworks to start, I remembered what I used to do with my dad and I decided to do the same thing with my kids.
They didn't understand what we were doing until the first firework burst in the sky and it looked like it was sparking right above our heads, just for us. After two or three fireworks had gone off, the oldest monkey turned her head towards me (but still keeping her eyes on the sky, just in case) and whispered "Momma! I had no idea you could do magic!!"
I didn't know if they would remember that night, that would probably seem so long ago in "kid years" but, this morning, when I told them we were going to go see fireworks, both girls got so excited and the center monkey said to me "Can you do that thing with the magic again, momma? Please?!?!?" I can't even put into words how happy it made me that they remembered that night the way I do.
I hope all of you enjoy your holiday in any way you can.
I just have one request.
No matter what you do today, stay safe, take care of yourselves, and don't forget to add a little magic.
Happy 4th of July!