The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 1 July 2008

I probably don't have time for this right now, so it may be a bit choppy.

See, we've got the 4th of July coming up. And it always makes me think of the times when . . . the Boston Pops played, and I boosted a little neighbor up so that she could see the fireworks. And before that, hot dogs and such, fireworks, and other times. And the hard times -- arguing about the Vietnam war, walking with various groups, this and that. What does it mean to be an American, in this time and place? Summertime reflections . . .

And on the random quotations today, I've got:

"First there is a time when we believe everything, then for a little while we believe with discrimination, then we believe nothing whatever, and then we believe everything again - and, moreover, give reasons why we believe." Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

"Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion." Georg Wilhelm

"When the souls rise up in glory, yours shall not be shunned nor sundered, but shall be the prize of the gods' gardens. Even your darkness shall be treasured then, and all your pain made holy." Lois McMaster Bujold

"We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction." Malcolm Gladwell

"The world is now too small for anything but brotherhood." Arthur Powell Davies

The Fourth of July celebration in America is an expression of belief and of passion. It's also very much a time of remembrance of darkness and pain. Francis Scott Key was not sitting on the grass enjoying Kentucky fried chicken. Example and experience instead of simple words also play a part in what the Fourth of July means. And that notion of global brotherhood -- that we can no longer say we don't care about what's beyond our borders because our borders include everything.

Kind of a hodgepodge -- but what does the Fourth of July mean for you? What will you be doing Friday? And what will you do in the days to come because of that experience? Flags and music and food and fireworks -- what does it all mean to you?

Write!

When we write, we set fireworks free in the minds of our readers.