My husband and I recently celebrated our 50^th anniversary. Not of our wedding day, but of the day we first met. It was a blind date, and an easy day for me to remember, because it was exactly a week before the 4^th of July in the Bicentennial Year of 1976—our country’s 200^th birthday.

I’ve thought of that often as we prepare to celebrate the 4^th of July this year, on our country’s 250^th anniversary—or Semiquincentennial, which is not just a mouthful to say, but will make a great trivia question in the future.

It’s fun for me to think back to that Bicentennial year, except for the fact that it forces me to acknowledge that I’m 50 years older than I was then. How did that happen?!

Actually, I can go back even further, to my earliest 4^th of July memory. I think I was three or four years old, and excited about attending our town’s fireworks display. But I ended up sitting in the back seat of our car with my hands over my ears because the noise scared me. I remember my mom coming and sitting in the car with me, her arm around my shoulders, until the fireworks were over.

Parades are among my favorite 4^th of July memories. I’ve watched parades, marched in parades, and ridden in antique autos in 4^th of July parades, and each experience evokes a different type of memory.

One 4^th of July I’ll always remember is the one we celebrated shortly after our son completed his military service in the Marines. Several of his Marine buddies—who had served with him in Iraq—came to visit, and stayed with us over the 4^th of July holiday. Their visit brought close to home—literally—the reminder of what we’re really celebrating every year on the 4^th of July. Not that I’ve ever forgotten, even among the picnics, parades, and fireworks of the day.

I hope you enjoy this 4^th of July holiday, and that it will leave you with some special memories that you’ll carry with you for years to come.

July 1, 2026
©Betty Liedtke, 2026

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