Celebrating the 4th of July

Yep, tomorrow is the big day, the nation’s birthday and it’s marked by being hotter than hell here in the States (or everywhere it seems but my part of Texas where the weather is drunk and it’s actually nice outside), parades, barbecues, and of course, the ever-popular fireworks.

I still remember being ten years old and visiting my family in England on the 4^th and wondering why they didn’t do all these really nifty things. My uncle blandly informed me that celebrating America’s independence wasn’t necessarily British. I grinned and winked and then called him a sore loser. Much with the laughter that day.

But celebrating the 4^th took on new meaning for me as I grew older and more aware of the world beyond my corner of the swimming pool or the apartments where I grew up. It became about celebrating our history—a very long and bloody history demarcated by numerous wars and tremendous loss in the 237 years since we declared that independence.

It’s marked by a harsh political chasm in our country that actually fought a civil war the last time we were so divided.

It’s marked by changes sometimes so slow as to be glacial and other times so swift, our heads spin.

It’s marked by an enduring spirit that at the end of the day, we are all Americans and despite our differences, we need to be that. We need to be the melting pot the country was envisioned to be.

From the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to allowing women in combat (not that they haven’t been there, but gender will no longer be a reason why women don’t qualify for those positions) to finally scaling back from two long-term conflicts we’ve been engaged in overseas for over a decade.

Celebrating the 4^th of July isn’t about fireworks or hot dogs and hamburgers and summer blockbuster movies—it’s about us as a people. It’s our country’s birthday. We are all of these things and yet, we need to be more.  It’s about celebrating who we are, who we can be, and where we’ve been, as well as where we are going.

It’s about patriotism.

It’s about service.

It’s about responsibility.

Being a citizen means work. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines work damn hard to defend our way of life and to protect our freedoms. For me, the 4^th is about remembering and respecting that contribution, but also about working a little harder myself to give back and pay it forward. I know where I’ve been, I know where we’ve been as a nation and I know where I want to go.

I’m willing to work on it. Are you?

Don’t forget Melissa Schroeder is donating to Wounded Warriors for comments on her blog yesterday! Keep those comments coming.

History Weaves a Tender Thread

Sometimes when I think of all the events in the world that have taken place so I could enjoy my life here in California, making a living writing romance of all things, and Military Romance (Yes, I capitalized it. Put away your red pen) in particular, I truly think I am living some miracle existence my ancestors could never imagine.

We all have family stories, and many of us, like me, have family members who have served their country in one form or another. As the 4th of July comes upon us, we reflect what it means to be a nation, and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so we could have the lifestyle we have today. Far from being right or left politically, what is great about this country is the service so many have given for us all. And it's been said by philosophers over the centuries, that a people who forget where they came from will soon have nothing left worth defending.

My great-great grandfather came to the United States during the Civil War to fight for the Union Army, and obtain citizenship. This was offered to many from Europe, especially the British Isles. He was a young single man, a volunteer firefighter, who was involved in the miller's business and knew a young McCall lad who thought some day women might want to make their own clothes. Sadly, although A.C. Cameron was smart enough to come to the United States, he wasn't smart enough to go into business with Mr. McCall.

His brother had emigrated earlier, was married, had a family and had been a police Superintendent from Berwick-on-Tweed. Daniel became a General in the Union Army. He would later go on to run a prison for confederate prisoners of war in Chicago. His letters to then President Grant, complaining of the lack of funds and indecent conditions almost cost him his commission. I actually found copies of them when I was Googling our family history for a project I was working on. Here is a brief description I found:

Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. He came to America in 1851 with his family and settled in Wheeling, Cook County, Illinois. In 1853, he moved to Chicago and was associated with several newspapers as a publisher. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army, raised the 65th Illinois Infantry known as the "Scotch Regiment" and was composed exclusively of men from Chicago and Cook County. He was the commander of Camp Douglas from February of 1862 until June when he was then ordered to join the Army of the Potomac and the defense of Washington.

General Dan died in 1879. My great-great grandfather went on to work in the publishing business and met a young girl from Scotland, who had come over to work for a wealthy family living on Dearborn Avenue in Chicago. Everything she owned was in a box her father made for her, plus something else.

I had been going through some old photos and papers I needed to file away, and came across this piece about General Daniel Cameron. The top of the piece is in my grandmother's handwriting. The side note is in my mother's, which is probably too small to read. She makes note of a box Eliza brought with her from Scotland. And two rosewood chairs.







I don't know why my mother never told me the story of this chair before she passed. Or, maybe she did and I just forgot. But what sent a chill down my spine is that I was sitting in this very chair as I read this recount in my mother's handwriting for the very first time.

I'm fascinated by history, especially the stories of those who helped make this a great nation. From my bedroom window, I can see seven different fireworks displays on the 4th.

And this year, I'll be sitting in Eliza's chair as I do so. 

Sharon’s award-winning spicy Navy SEAL stories in the SEAL Brotherhood series, have consistently made best sellers lists and review sites. Her characters follow a sometimes rocky road to redemption through passion and true love.

She lives in Sonoma County, California with her husband, and two Dobermans. A lifelong organic gardener, when she’s not writing, she’s getting vera vera dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmer’s Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers.

Book 3 of her SEAL series, SEAL Under Covers, will release the end of July.