July 4, 2025
The Fourth of July is my husband’s favorite holiday. He makes sure we have our flag correctly displayed, and decorates our front yard with an appropriate amount of red, white and blue. We find a good spot to watch fireworks, making sure to “ooh” and “aah” at all the right times. And it’s just not the Fourth of July in the Ketcham household if we don’t watch the musical “1776.” All in all, the day is one of great joy and celebration. I find it difficult to not be swept up in love for my country in the midst of it all. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines patriotism as “love for or devotion to one’s country,” and on this day, patriotism runs deep within my soul. But I have to admit that this year the Fourth of July hits a little differently.