Sparkle On, America!

The Fourth of July is a day to celebrate with family. Instead of a barbecue, we decided to find an outdoor restaurant for a family favorite-breakfast. Wth the sun shining, we celebrated in style. The little grandgirls were decked out in  holiday outfits creating a celebratory flair to the beginning of the day.

Hours later as daylight turned into a rich shade of sunset, the family gathered again for a local firework show across Lake Thoreau, in Reston, Virginia. Sitting picnic-style we watched a sparkling spectacle of outdoor joy.  As kayaks circled the lake, barges readied for the show.

Fireworks popped as crowds squealed with delight. Oohs, Ahs!, and clapping echoed as night's colors became the backdrop for a magnificent light show. 

freedom bursts

fill the night air with hope-

strike up the band

© CV, 2021

The red and white and starry blue Is freedom's shield and hope".-John Philip Sousa

Fourth of July is a day to connect with loved ones and share in the hope that freedom brings.

With regrets for strolling into Two Writing Teachers late, I send this slice of life off. The activities of the past days have worn me out. While I wrote this slice just before the deadline, I fell asleep before sending it out. 

Light the Sky

Each year, Nassau county fires up the fireworks to celebrate America's idependence with family and friends. This year was no exception. Throngs of people gathered to view the dazzling display of techno-color lights on Sunday night, July 2, 2017.

Wondrous popping in the sky-

fragmented sparkles dropping by-

fireworks, 

summer's delight!

©CV, 2017

I wondered how Independence Day started and found some interesting facts online. A UK publication shared these facts:

• The first Independence Day celebrations took place on Rhode Island on July 4, 1977 - the one-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 
• Thirteen gunshots were fired in a salute, one for each of the original colonies. 

Gloria Estafan's song America is an uplifting song for the Fourth of July.

I was feeling patriotic with red, white, and blue brownies.

Enjoy your 4th of July celebrations!

It's Slice of Life Tuesday and I am joining Two Writing Teachers to celebrate the right to write freely!

The American Spirit

During the Fourth of July Weekend in Patriotic Style

Filled with the spirit of freedom and the opportunities it brings, I woke this weekend with the desire to CELEBRATE in patriotic fashion. Flashbacks of years past with fremily spurred me on. Baking ware came out, as did my secret ingredient, orange rinds. The kitchen started to have that creative chaos look that allows a little of this and a little of that blended together into new tasty items.

As I baked, I thought of the hands that came before me-those that folded dough with ease. I thought of the delicacies that were created to bring oohs and aahs from guests. I baked with happy memories, giving thanks that I came from a line of bakers who were inspired to hone their craft with each new design. I baked in peace, happy to create, and excited to share my newest baked items centered around the theme, the American dream. 

In my family, the American dream started with my grandmother coming to America as an immigrant. She brought with her a baby and a desire to live in freedom with her husband who immigrated previously to find a home for his family. The American dream continued with my mother growing up learning the arts at the hands of my grandmother. Her dream of becoming a fashion designer in New York City was realized for a short time before World War II started and then deferred when she needed to return home to Rome, New York to help support the family. I loved hearing the stories growing up. I watched, listened, and learned alongside these strong women who had "big" dreams for their family. 

Now, I think back, realizing that the American spirit has lived in my heart since a child. I understand what it means to have a dream because of my heritage. Perhaps, thoughts about the American spirit are best exemplified in Gloria Estefan's powerful song. 

American ideals and aspirations have been realized throughout the years by those who have come before us. It is my dream that my children will shape their future based on our family members who embodied the American spirit. 

I honor my past by sharing my creations, 

knowing that my grandmother and mother would be proud.

Fourth of July is the perfect day to be filled with thanks for what we have.

Today is Slice of Life Tuesday.

Please visit Two Writing Teachers here to read what other slicers are writing.

Reflecting on Freedom

When asked to write about the topic of freedom, many thoughts came to mind. During my early childhood days with an immigrant grandmother, the term freedom signified the American experience. As an adult, the horrific tragedy of 9/11 that affected my tiny community of Rockville Centre, New York brought a deep sadness associated with the term freedom. Life as I knew it was struck down in a community that spoke highly of American values. Freedom cried out as a call to all to respect life and walk tall as Americans.

The following song from Dr. Who written in Latin has an amazing thought for all of us to ponder:

As long as we are humans,

let us be humane

With silence, we shout!

Living our life in a humane way will reap rewards!

I will walk in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

Psalm 119:45

Mohonk Mountain House, New York State

Now please visit Spiritual Journey Thursday lead by Holly Mueller. 

Read how other bloggers interrupt the word freedom.  

Celebrate American Spirit

In the days leading up to the July 4th, Americans prepared for a day of celebrating connections. Region and town papers announced events, posted notices of 4th of July sales, and published news centering around the concept of freedom. This year, the Macy's fireworks spectacular in the New York City East River illustrated the theme of the American Spirit with live patriotic music, interviews, a hostess dressed in a stylish firework-designed dress, and a excited crowd of viewers. The American spirit was present but just what is the American Spirit?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

• What is the American spirit?
• How does it shape our values and beliefs?

The question, What is the American spirit?, was posed last night at the Macy's Fireworks celebration. Perhaps, it is best expressed in Gloria Estefan's original song, America, that was featured.  

Authenticity is needed by all of mankind to solidify the power of the collective voice and to realize dreams of freedom. Communities of risk-takers can voice national concerns inherent in the Constitution and follow up with actionable steps, along with strength, passion, and collaboration. Liberty can be achieved for ALL through the democratic process. Resilience, positivity, and stamina are essential..

Idealistic? Perhaps...but independent thinking and a strong sense of patriotism can make a future ready world for our young learners. If it were not for a community of dreamers, American ideals and aspirations would not have been realized. It is up to modern day dreamers to shape the future through the American spirit.

Patriotism represents the "T" in Spirit.

The spirit of freedom unites all. I celebrate the American Spirit this Fourth of July weekend. 

  

Join Ruth Ayres at Celebrate This Week to read how the writing community celebrated their week leading up to the Fourth of July weekend. 

Speaking of Freedom

A day in 1920 she landed on the shores of the United States with her first child. She traveled far from her homeland of Italy to greet her husband who already immigrated to America in hopes of finding a better life for his growing family. The strong woman with no knowledge of the English language met a land that was unknown and unfamiliar to her. This woman was my maternal grandmother.

Although this story may be a common one told by many families of immigrants, it was one carved into my etchbook of time and holds deep memories for me. It was a fateful day when Nonnie Rose traveled to a small city in central New York, Rome, to build a new life among other Italian immigrants. There in the same city, I was born decades later. As a small child, I became a regular summer visitor to Rome each summer. I grew up among a community of strong, Catholic immigrant women, listened to family stories, and heard countless messages of pride for being an American citizen. I grew to be a curious child, a learner, and a reader at the feet of the woman who could not speak or read English. 

What I remember most about those days were my grandmother's hands. They connected me to a lifetime of learning. Nonnie Rose's hands, rough from labor but gentle with touch, brought me each week to the library to collect books that would broaden my knowledge of life and history. Her touch lit my life as we walked and talked. It was her hands that molded the delicate cookies that graced her table or fashioned large honey dolls to be stored in a huge dark closet for later eating pleasure. It was her hands that showed me how to roll the clothes through an early dryer and hang them to dry with tall wooden clothespins on lines outside. Her hands tatted and grew a garden full of colorful roses, wonderfully scented flowers, and the biggest path of vegetables with a climbing vine, standing tall at the front, guarding the delicacies beyond. I observed, questioned, and sought further knowledge from this woman who had little education but a wealth of experience and a generous spirit. It was her aspiration for me to have a college education and a world of knowledge to absorb that guided me in later years.

Summer always reminds me of those summer days years ago that I spent playfully springing alongside Nonnie Rose as she worked, hoping that she would let me smell the flowers and roll the dough. "May I?" was a frequent question. My curiosity was always fostered. There was so much to learn and none of it seemed like work during those summer months. Snippets of "broken English" mixed with wisdom from age always slipped through our conversations. It may have been the actions that stayed with more than the words. I still recall my grandmother's primary thought, one comes to America to become an American and all that entailed. She and others in her community had a deep respect for American traditions while never letting go of their roots and smiles abounded when speaking about being an American. Although I did not realize at such a young age that I was part of a learning community, it existed in the kitchen of my grandmother who always rewarded a busy afternoon with a cookie, floral treat, or a walk to the drug store for a new edition of a favorite comic.

Recently on the July 4th holiday, I spent time rethinking the American experience. While gathering with friends and family, eating outdoors, and watching the Macy's fireworks display on TV, I was reminded of the quest for freedom that the immigrants sought. My grandmother yearned for educational enlightenment for me and rightfully so, I continue this desire. Her quest for freedom is the same that I and other educators bring to the classroom-the development of our learners to ultimately become knowledgeable citizens. 

As an aside, I stumbled upon a little known fact while writing these comments: Francis Bellamy, the author of the Pledge of Allegiance, is buried in Rome, New York. All of my years of traveling back to Rome, the city of my birth, never unearthed that information until now. Also, coincidental is the tweet from Bennett Ratliff, @BennettRatlif, that came across Twitter around the 4th of July. He mentioned celebrating Independence Day by showcasing one of his favorite skits, "Red Skeleton's Pledge of Allegiance." My grandmother would have enjoyed watching this skit and knowing that her hometown was honored as the burial place for Bellamy because she was fiercely proud of being an American in a land that afforded her opportunities. 

From my Ephemera Collection

FREEDOM is 

• Faithfully ours
• Real concept 
• Enduring truth
• Everlasting mindset
• Democratic right
• Owned by immigrants 
• Magnificent embodiment of the pursuit of life, liberty, happiness

Nonnie Rose would appreciate this bulleted poem about a concept she held dear to her heart.

For educators like me, freedom signifies hope, optimism, and the American dream that all our students become successful, lifelong learners and productive citizens of the future, able to read with understanding, write with depth, clarity and a distinct point of view, solve problems, be creative in thought and actions, and make sound decisions.