Small Town Fourth of July

Marching bands, impressive floats and lengthy parades are common in the cities, but in small-town America parades are short and simple. Bob and I re-vamped our small Gem electric car into a "Save our VA" float for our parade. We heard many cheers for our VA and one "God bless our VA" that made it all worthwhile. I threw candy, as expected, but our main focus was on handing out flyers to remind everyone to submit their written comments for the EIS study to help save our VA in Hot Springs, SD.

I was surprised that after all this time so many had not written their letters. On the fifth of July, at the monthly market, I was surprised once again to discover that most folks had not written their letters. They all stated, "Been meaning to", or, "I forgot" or "thanks, I will". All of these people love our VA and know of its importance to our veterans and our community, but letters take time and life has a way of running away from all of the demands.

This fourth of July was a reminder to me that we all need reminders even for causes we are passionate over. Then again there are those who need no reminding. I am grateful for all of them. They make the bumpy road of life less challenging and smoother for those of us who need the nudges to fight for our beliefs to make the world a better place.