Juggling in a small town - Reminiscing on the 4th

As I record my thoughts for this post I am currently driving to my brother's from a July 4th gig in Maynard, MN.

I started the day at my brothers where they're having a day long, 4th-of -July, family gathering. Feeling a bit sorry for myself, that I would spend most of the day driving to and from my juggling gig, I hit the road.

Dont get me wrong, I was very thankful to have the work. It's just that I don't like missing out on extended family gatherings and with a 4 hour one way drive, I would miss most of it. With the exception of trying a new breakfast item at McDonalds, it was an uneventful four hour trip.

What greeted me upon arriving in Maynard: was a heartwarming example of an American small town, 4th-of-July, celebration. It started with a late morning parade down main street - in which I personally did not partake - and then moved to a park on the edge of town for a community wide picnic. They sold plates full of food, with proceeds going to support the Maynard fire department.

The park itself was an idilic setting, with an unusually sturdy stage and a suprising amount of shade. Maynard is a town of around 200 to 300, and yet this event will annually draw upwards of 400, with the best surprise of the day being, that when it was time for me, most of them were sitting waiting for my show. I've performed at a lot of small town summer events and county fairs over the years and all to often I'm up against the kiddie tractor pull-or worse yet-greased pig competitions, and have a hard time competing against them for an audience. Consequently this was a nice change.

Right before my performance, there was a flag raising ceremony put on by some boy scouts, with one of the scouts leading the whole crowd in the pledge. It was very moving and getting a little choked-up, I was unable to get all the words out. While there is certainly nothing wrong with that, it's not real helpful right before going on stage. However, the man in charge made his attempt at an introduction, the moment was gone, and I was good to go.

I did my show, packed up my stuff, and took off. As I was leaving there was something else happening on stage, with more activities planned late into the afternoon, and I'm sure, many people lingering and fellowshipping together long after the official events had ended.

As I drive back to my brother's, looking forward to some 4th-of-July celebrating with my family, and reminisce on the day so far, two thoughts come to mind . . .

First, thank you Maynard for showing me the quintessential, small town, 4th-of-July celebration. And secondly, is a strong, soul filling, sense of thankfulness: thankful that a sence of community that strong still exists in our country, thankful for the freedoms that we have and all that the 4th-of-July stands for, and thankful that I live in country where I can go do what I did today, to earn a living.

So to close this entry and to sum it all up: nothing seems more fitting than the doxology.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above the heavenly host
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost
AMEN