It’s no secret that the Speers family loves to host parties. Making worlds collide and bringing friends together from a variety of circles makes for a good time of sharing memories, bashing each other, laughing and usually lots of food and drinks. Julie and I live to have everyone over. It makes the tough times easier and good times even better.
We purposefully built the home we have so we could enjoy being with our family and close friends. We made sure it had a game room, large open areas and even put in a pool, so that our place could be “your place” too. It cost us a little more than we like, but it’s an investment we won’t ever regret. Most people can count on one hand how many good friends they really have. It takes two hands for most of you in our group. We all should thank God every day that we have each other.
We look for almost any reason to gather the gangs together. We’ve celebrated end of school, various holidays, birthdays, NFL kickoff weekends, baseball playoffs and most recently the Dallas Mavericks winning of their first NBA title.
But in the scheme of things, fewer better reasons exist than to get together for Family, Friends, Fireworks and Fun in the Sun, than to honor of the birth of Freedom; the birth of America.
Last night we had a patriotic celebration with the Sherman, Jensen, Curlee, Hedger, Butler, Winter, Ermish, Ruzika, Franklin, Stroder, and in spirit with the Rinehart, Atwell, Hadash, McMahon and Novinger families. It was amazing to see all the kids cranking out giggles, pool splashes and serious hot dog eating as the rest of us sat and talked about kids, food, the NFL lockout and who will beat Obama in 2012. We ended the evening watching the Mansfield fireworks which shoot off from what almost feels like our own backyard.
The 4th just brings it all together…just like it must have 235 years ago.
Few think about this fact. But our freedom was paid for by people just like those of us that partied last night. They played together. They worked together. They schooled together. They worshipped together. They partied together. And in the end, many died together.
As we celebrate our nation’s birth and think about those we are lucky to share our lives with, let’s not forget it was people like you and me that gave it all. As the British were coming, the cookouts were stopped, the balloons were popped and the kids were all hidden. Freedom was about to be won and there was one thing each of them called the other.
Friends.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.” John 15:13
© 2011, J. Brady Speers
"I say it how I see it and I make no bones about it."
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