Fourth of July has always been one of our family’s favorite holidays. And one of our favorite family traditions for Fourth of July is attending the Stadium of Fire celebration held in Utah. Stadium of Fire boasts a huge headline musical performer each year (past years have included Carrie Underwood, One Republic, Keith Urban, Journey, and many others). The start the evening off with Skydivers carrying the American Flag into the stadium to kick things off, then the F-16 or F-35 fighter jets do a fly over (my personal favorite part of the entre thing), and after the musician performs they put on the largest stadium fireworks show in the nation. It’s always amazing and our family looks forward to going every year. But this year, for the first time, Stadium of Fire wasn’t an option as it was understandably cancelled due to COVID-19, so our holiday celebration was definitely more low-key than usual.
My kids and my two grandbabies came over to our house and we spent the day swimming in the pool and BBQ’ing dinner. When it was dark we all stood on the front balcony of the house and watched fireworks across the valley. Then once the grandkids were in bed we watched Hamilton on Disney Plus together as we all sang along. The day didn’t have the same pizzazz and grandeur that past years Fourth of July celebrations have had, but this Fourth of July more than any before, I appreciated how greatly blessed we were to be able to spend the day together as a family.
Life since COVID has become so different for all of us around the world. We all miss the pizzazz and grandeur of big holiday celebrations, traveling to exciting places, and gathering together in large groups. But despite all the hardships of this pandemic, which are too many to mention, I admit that on a positive note it has given me a far deeper appreciation of the simple, tender, sweet moments life offers us… moments like watching my three year old grandson try to dive off our diving board for the first time, and sitting with my sweetheart at the side of the pool, and watching my kids laugh and play….
These days the little moments mean a whole lot more ….
~Amy Rees Anderson (author of the book “What Awesome Looks Like: How To Excel in Business & Life” )
