Recovery

For the 4th of July we have always caught up with family members at a huge reunion of sorts. However, since having our own children we decided to begin our own tradition during this most patriotic holiday. Three years ago we began going with our family to the beach. What could be more American than the beach; waves, sand, fun and massive amounts of fireworks...it is awesome.
This year was so much more than just celebrating the 4th of July. For the people of this beach community devestated by Hurricane Ike less than a year ago, this year was a celebration of recovery. The strength and endurance of a community was never better expressed. Their resilience to build back and build back stronger was evident this weekend. They do have a long road ahead to get things back to some sense of "normal", but they are doing a fantastic job so far and people came out if force.
So, we celebrated with our family and hoped to teach our kiddos not only about this holiday of Freedom, but that belief in family and strength to thrive resolve people to this day to press forward!