Life as a Maid in Michigan

I was born in Three Rivers, Michigan, in 1955. Wow! That seems sssssooooo long ago! My mother(5'10") tells me that the weather was especially hot, and I was two weeks late. Sorry, Mom. I would much rather have been born ON the Fourth of July. Since I was not, I have been declaring my independence just to make up for it. Being a very patriotic person (I owe that to my mother and father,too), next to Christmas, Indepence Day is a favorite holiday of mine.
A couple of years ago I attended a local Fourth of July parade with friends and family. My heart nearly lept out of my chest as parade entries from all over the local area passed by. It was as if Norman Rockwell himself was there. Spectators enthusiastically waved their American flags as high school bands perfomed their rehearsed pieces. Civic and religious groups proudly proceeded on brightly-colored floats. The entry that spoke most profoundly to my spirit was when a group of World War II veterans, with their shoes polished like glass and their uniforms crisply pressed, marched by as if they had just returned from their tour of duty, and would go back again tomorrow, if asked. The envigorated crowd , without hesitation, stood to their feet, in honor of these brave men and women, who chose to give their time in service to their country.
As I saw this military group pass by, tears welled up in my eyes as I pictured my dad, who served in the Army in the early 1940's, probably at that moment, was participating in his local patriotic parade in South Carolina. I said a prayer of thanks to God for all who are serving, or have ever served, this great country of ours. God Bless America!