Happy Independence Day!

Today is the 4th of July and, as last year, I took my grandfather to my grandmother's grave where we laid a flower and an American flag.

My grandmother, the "Foxy Lady", was a very special person and a beacon of light for our family whose love continues to shine through her three daughters, grand children and great grand children. That she died on the morning of the 4th of July with the sun shining down on her face as I held her hand was a fitting end for someone who captured the essence of the "Greatest Generation" in all she did and stood for. Independence Day was her favorite holiday and a time of fond memories for me as a child as the family would gather at my grandparents' house for a picnic each year on this cherished American holiday.

After Gram passed, my brother and I put together a musical and pictoral tribute that we played at her funeral. I don't think there was a dry eye left in the room after it ended:



I mentioned to my friend Howie how my grandmother died on the 4th of July and he responded that Charles Kuralt (he watches Sunday Morning every Sunday morning as a ritual) had died on the 4th of July. Curious as to who else might of died on Independence Day, I Googled it.

To my surprise, I learned that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the 2nd and 3rd U.S. Presidents died on July 4th, 1826. If that doesn't amaze you....James Monroe, the 5th American president, died on Independence Day as well in 1831!

So my grandmother is in good company....I'm happy that her Independence Day from this ill-fated world fell on July 4th. And I thank God for making such a special soul Gram...