Quiet 4th of July

Here in the Rockies,
we have had a couple of wild weeks
whatwith the Waldo Canyon fire,
the High Park fire,
and about a dozen other fires
all over the State
that we love so much.

The idea of "creating" more fire
for the sake of
entertainment and celebration
of our great land
was, as best as I can say,
offensive to us.

A Statewide fire ban
was appreciated.

Fire lighting up the skies?
No thank you.

We've seen that display already
as the torrential fire ripped down the face
of our mountains
in full blown technicolor.
Fireworks are nearly blase
comparatively.

Our hearts didn't need to be
artificially racing at the sight of
sparklers and firecrackers--
what our hearts needed was
a day of quiet.

There was a charity concert
benefitting those affected by the wildfires
and those awesome, wonderful, amazing
firefighters...
it sold out in minutes I think,
we did not attend.

But it was more than Okay.

As I watch the wildfires in Utah and Montana,
I look with different eyes
and appreciate the chaos that comes with
wildfires that ravage our beautiful America.

Silent prayers are offered up for those
who have lost their homes
and plead for hope to be restored
in their hearts.

What did we do?
We spent time as a family,
a movie and dinner out,
played some games at home,
and rested our minds.

It was a Quiet 4th of July
in Colorado Springs.

It was one we won't forget.
The one after the fires.