On this day, in the year of our lord COVID-19, the 4th of July is more bust than boom. As I social distance with my wine and lone sparkler, I am drawn to reminisce about the greatest 4th of Julys of them all - the ones of my childhood! These were the celebrations my family held in my hometown in eastern Ohio, a small town in the Steel Valley. Every year of my childhood, we gathered in the local park, as a clan, for the sole purpose of being together. It was the purest of celebrations because it wasn't about gifts or cards, getting the turkey in the oven at 5 a.m., or worrying over seating arrangements. In fact, it wasn't even about patriotic zealotry. For us, it was just about family.
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| "We are family!.... |
