Hot Dogs, Cook-outs, Fireworks and Lasagne

With the Fourth of July right around the corner, my thoughts turn to this national holiday marked by hot dogs, cook outs, fireworks and lasagna. Lasagne? Well yes.

Several times durng my childhood my family made their way to East St. Louis, Illinois, where we would spend the holiday weekend with friends, the Sperry's. Often, their daughter Denise (who was my age) and I would walk into town or make our way to the river's edge where we'd sit talking while throwing stones into the water. All the while back at the house chairs and tables would be hauled outside for the crowd who'd come for supper. There were bottles of pop in an avalanche of ice which filled a galvanized tub in the backyard. Snacks of chips-n-dip and watermelon abounded as we awaited the slow-cooked lasagne for which Mrs. Sperry(Willie)was famous. It seemed that every year more and more folks found their way to that backyard and the lasagne!

After much laughter and too much food everyone chipped in to get it all cleaned up. We were like a stream of worker ants--from the backyard into the house--so that we could leave for the drum and bugle corps competition that would culminate in a huge fireworks display. The competitors kept marching and fifing as the sun went down and the lights of the stadium came up at such a refined cadence that we hardly realized it was getting dark. The winning corps would celebrate on the field, breaking ranks and hugging one another(this was way before high-5's became the celebration of choice). Then the fireworks would begin!

I have no idea how many times we made this trek to East St. Louis. Because of the distance, it had to be only those years when the holiday fell making a long weekend.

I don't know if my parents intenionally tried to create this memory or not. But anything we do with our children or grandchildren, nieces, nephews or young friends repeatedly becomes just that, a memory. What memories are you creating as legacy? Where are the places you go... the foods you eat... the sights, sounds and smells being etched into the minds and hearts of the little ones around you? Is it important to you to make memories?

Let me re-state that: It is important to make memories. Memories can ground us and give us a sense of who we are and what's important. Memories reveal the things that were important to our parents and grandparents, maybe even great grandparents. Memories are formative ... even lasagne memories.

No Fourth of July ever passes that I don't think about the uniformed drum and bugle corps, the fireworks, and Willie's lasagne. What memories of the 4th do you have? What do those memories mean to you--or tell you about yourself? What memories will you make this year? I think I'll make some lasagne. BLESSINGS AND JOY, THE CELTIC MONK