This year, our Fourth of July reflected on why we’re able to celebrate the holiday in the first place. Jim and I kicked off our holiday at the Glorious Fourth celebration at the Old Depot Museum in Ottawa, Kansas, where we joined over a hundred other early birds for a reading of the Declaration of Independence, a great oration on why our history is important, and a nice breakfast of apple-stack cakes. I realized as the Declaration of Independence was being read how long it has been since I’ve really thought about what those soon-to-be Americans were fighting for, and how we’re still sorting out those hopes and needs today.
Our day ended with a fabulous fireworks display hosted by the city. Thousands of Ottawans sat on the levee walls of the Marais des Cygnes River downtown to watch a magnificent show.
Diana Staresinic-Deane 