Reigniting the spark.

used to be one of my very favorite holidays... we had more fireworks than the stand itself, or so it felt.  aunts, uncles, cousins would load 'em up and head to my grandparent's home (wherein 'diy fireworks' was entirely legal at the time).  my grandpa had already stocked up on the illegal good stuff (we didn't know & we didn't ask).  until dark, we ate up a good ol' american-summer-fare storm, and happily busied ourselves with snakes & smoke bombs.  my grandpa was at this point either a) frantically searching for that bag of firecrackers that he'd stashed away somewhere in his jam-packed garage, or b) outside scheming up some 'pinwheel attack' (or anything that fell within the realm of utilizing a designated firework to freak my grandmother out later in the evening)... he was giddier than all of us combined.  the neighbors always got an early start.  not us.  no siree.  we waited until darkness had fully set in.  and when it finally did, we loaded all the goods, made ourselves comfy in those pre-arranged lawn chairs, and created our very own 4th of july extravaganza... and many cherished memories too.
             
i've come to accept that those days are long gone.  since then, we've filled the holiday with pool parties, parades, firework shows (the kind in which we actually purchased tickets for, & others that we've pulled in to the parking lot of some arena or other), bbq's... all good fun, but no standing tradition like the days of my youth.  not to mention- a little more chaotic & less cherished.  so this year, we're taking a step back, staying out of the crowds (...the traffic... the hustle n' bustle of rushing from one event to the next), & starting a new tradition.  a morning hike, a trip to the movies, & good ol' backyard bbq.  maybe not a tradition filled with parades, confetti eggs (although, with a little advanced planning, i could make this one happen), public-pool swimming sessions, fire & sparks, OR a pyromaniac grandfather... but one of smores, sparklers, togetherness & family fun, which is really what it's all about, right?

wherever and however you celebrate, i hope it's full of spark :).