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Reflecting on Freedoms this Fourth of July

July 4, 2021

Everyone’s favorite holiday is finally upon us. And, as usual, the Brazos Valley has had to make a few adjustments in our community celebrations for the 4 th . We were looking forward to the “I Love America” Independence Day Celebration at Wolf Pen Creek, but out of wise caution, the College Station Noon Lions Club said the lawn saturation with water and safety issues could really make it unsafe, so it is postponed. That’s the bad news. There’s still good news.

This year is our nation’s 245 th anniversary of celebrating the founding of our nation as an independent country—land of the free, home of the brave. That’s a slogan that has special meaning for those whose ancestors fought for our rights to be free from England and the monarchy. We’ve been free as a nation for so long, it’s really easy to forget a day and time when we were not able to enjoy the freedoms we do today.

So often we forget what was at stake to forge ahead bravely for our freedom, because this day, like Memorial Day and like Veteran’s Day, is a day of remembrance that has become slightly secondary to the opportunity for a day off of work, a day without mail delivery and bank transactions, and a hefty amount of red, white, and blue bunting gathered up. We talk of barbeques and fireworks and sometimes the day fades gently from meaning.

Yes, five years from now, it will be the 250 th anniversary, but this year, of all years, is a tremendous reason to celebrate. In the past 12+ months, as a nation we’ve joined together to heal from COVID-19 and remember the lives of loved ones we’ve lost. We’ve become closer as friends and neighbors who help each other; and we’re grateful for every day we are together with our seniors, having been reunited with them and hugging them tightly around the necks, holding their hands and not wanting to let go.

It’s the children in our community who make us stay true to honoring this day for its true meaning. Across town today on Saturday morning, many subdivisions held parades of their own, with adults and children walking side-by-side waving little American flags. Children rode their bicycles or pedaled their cars and wave back at the adults who were sitting in camp chairs on sidewalks lining the path, waving at the little patriots-in-training.

Today at 5pm at First Baptist Church in Bryan, the public is invited to attend a free patriotic concert, followed by a picnic for those who attend.

The fireworks at the end of the day remind us all that we have the opportunity, the right and the freedom to worship, speak, live, and love in peace. And that we should not take these freedoms for granted because there are those whose daily lives do not include freedoms.

Per The Eagle update, on Sunday night, July 4 th , the TAMU RELLIS Campus opens at 6:30pm and will host “drive-in and stay-in-your-car” fireworks (and a drone show) at 9pm. You can watch on KBTX or listen to your car radio at 94.5 FM. Then, the Volunteer Fire Department in Kurten will start their activities and fun at 5pm, with fireworks at 9pm.

Getting the weekend started on July 2nd, was First Friday in Downtown Bryan, as we’ve come to enjoy. New management of the Palace and Queen Theatres by longtime friends, the Schulman family, is coming soon. Look for future years’ celebrations to include those two venues.

Although firework stands have been operating everywhere at the edges of town, and yes, they are wonderful fun, but inside the boundaries of B-CS city limits, they’re NOT permitted. Please enjoy your fireworks in the country and stay safe.

A special request—Our dogs are terrorized by the sounds (they hear and feel so much more intensely than we do) of fireworks, whether black cats, bottle rockets, or the most sophisticated types.  Even if you’re not a pet owner, please empathize with those who are and make sure you don’t set them off where pets are present. The animal shelters get filled with dogs who run away from their yards because they are scared. Thanks for thinking of our “extra” family members.

May your 4 th of July reflect a great day of celebrating our nation’s founding, the history we share as a country, and the connectivity we all share as U.S. citizens and the freedoms we enjoy each day. Freedom isn’t free and we are forever reminded of the price our loved ones pay with their lives to sustain our freedom still today. Wave your flag proudly and hold her high—long may she wave!

Cody ’02 and Chelsea ’11 Jones

 

New Beginnings, Clean Slate Begin This New School Year

August 27, 2024
As longtime Brazos Valley residents know, we’ve been taking the back streets the past two weeks now, and until after the first home game traffic settles back, you can count on our staying there. The annual ritual of Back-to-School brings yet another 1500 Aggies to the community, much to the delight of local business owners, who survive the summer to reach the thriving days of fall and summer.

Olympic Times and Trials —What We Learn and Can Teach From Them

July 29, 2024
It’s an exciting first weekend we just experienced, with the opening of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. The week of the Olympics landed in the midst of a very busy series of news cycles that document world events and daily news. Good and bad news abounds, everywhere you look it seems. You just have to pick and choose what you want to let into your day. Yet, it’s important to be aware of the world around us, because the earliest displays of the lessons we teach our children revolve around how we respond to the ups and downs of life.

Independence, Freedom, and Choices

July 4, 2024
This is the day when we break out the red, white, and blue décor and display our pride in being Americans with the rest of our community, same as we do every year at this time. Across the Brazos Valley some of our neighborhoods are staging their own parades and parents have helped their children decorate their bike handles with streamers. Sound systems are playing “The Stars and Stripes Forever” as a parade route forms. Pedal cars are moving into position behind the four- and five-year-old drivers maneuvering into position. Electric cars driven by Batman or John Deere III slide into view.

Why We Attend — The Value of a Visitation

July 1, 2024

The Love Wrapped Inside My Father’s Arms

June 16, 2024
Just looking at these two photos, separated by three decades, I’m overwhelmed to think of how it still just seems like yesterday that my dad was loading up the station wagon, ready to drive me and our soccer team all across the back roads of Texas as we competed across the state, trying our best to stand out.

Mother’s Day — A Promise of Remembrance

May 12, 2024
Of all the women in our lives, mothers certainly hold a position of supreme love and regard that often are set far above others we hold dear in life. Mothers are, frankly, our first very best friends and throughout life, others may come close but there’s a place that only they can hold dear in our hearts.

Who Will Be Your Informant (When the time comes)?

April 29, 2024
In the past few weeks, I’ve heard from high school friends that two of our classmates had died. This is not uncommon by itself, but the surprise came as I learned that one of our classmates had died two years ago, and another some three months ago. Yet, not one person we knew in common had known of their passing before now, so none of us who grew up together had any idea that we’d lost two “of our own.” That meant sorrow upon sorrow at the delay in learning of their passing.

Joy in the Morning: Easter Blessings for All

March 31, 2024
Just as excitedly as children rush from their beds on Easter morning to see what might be awaiting them in their Easter baskets from the Easter bunny, adults have reason to approach this blessed Sunday with similar enthusiasm. The promise of the memory of the stone that was rolled back, revealing an empty tomb brings to all of us the reminder that Christ rose from the dead and God took him back home to be with him. The victory of the resurrection is our guarantee as adults that we can celebrate each year.

Teaching Our Children About Holy Week — Introduction to Palm Sunday

March 24, 2024
Now that our son Rowen is two years old, Chelsea and I are beginning to introduce him to the elements of a regular church worship service that occur with regularity each year. True, one can only make a preliminary impression on a youngster with respect to helping him or her understand the rituals we as adults have grown up with, all of our lives. The occasion of Palm Sunday gives us a chance to help Rowen know that on Palm Sunday, we are going to be seeing everyone we know waving a large palm frond as we come into the church.

Social Media Footprints — Have You Planned for What Happens When You’re Not Here?

March 19, 2024
Over the years we’ve all become more friendly with social media, whether we’re texting our family and friends or whether or not we are adding a smiley face to the post of our latest grandchild playing a sport, and we share it on all our outlets too, because you know, we are proud!
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