Yes, it's the seventh as I write this, but the fourth is still a relevant date. The fourth of July is always an anticipated holiday, it's summer's halfway point an one that seems to come in odd situations for me.
I don't remember the reason we were there, but my first memorable fourth of July was spent at Blank Children's Hospital. I was in "my" room and remember seeing fireworks in several places in Des Moines. I couldn't hear the boom, but at least I could see them. Our usual venue was at the dam near town with fighting traffic and trying to get a place to sit. This was new, but not the first odd celebration of independence.
A few years later I was again in the hospital on the fourth, but this time it was in Denver at a hospital specializing in care of spinal cord injuries. My lung had collapsed due to their care, so my stay was extended. Several patients were taken to the top of a parking ramp for a live band and to watch fireworks. At dusk the show began and we could again see several different displays at once. An added bonus was that active railroad tracks were also visible, so I trains, fireworks, and I wasn't the only wheelchair user around.
In college, one of my funding sources didn't cover nurses on days when I didn't have class. Therefore, my parents were with me and friends of our family came up as well. Watching fireworks from campus wasn't as fun as some years, but it was still fun.
The most recent Independence Day oddity was in 2010. After having emergency surgery while at camp in Ohio, I finally received my independence after two weeks in the ICU. It was a long drive home, but it was great to be free after so long in an unfamiliar place.
On July four, we celebrate our nation's independence from oppression from another government. It's a day that has a lot of memories for me and likely will continue to in the years to come.
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