independence weekend

"let the inaugural independence games commence!"

and with that, a tradition was born. an annual tradition of games, food, people, and fun. the games began with the all-american classic, horseshoes. round one: amy vs. tyler. the match warmed up right from the start with each athlete racking up three points quickly. however, a makeshift grass court (not sand or clay, as standards require) can upset the rhythm quickly, and both athletes struggled for several innings to score again. finally, tyler was able to toss a ringer for the victory.

 

round two: carol vs. tyler. confident after his earlier win, tyler was hoping to pull ahead early and make quick of the remaining brauer family. several innings of back & forth took a toll on the gabe-laden pitcher & the previous victory proved to only prolong the inevitable: a carol brauer win. on a ringer, no less. it was a live by the sword, die by the sword day for tyler. but a mighty congratulations to the champion of the inaugural independence games, carol brauer! (*roaring applause*)

 

the post-game celebrations were to consist of fireworks, but where? corporate woods, shawnee mission park, riverfest - so many options! our neighbors were in the middle of their own (though obviously inferior) independence games and mentioned to amy that the country club a block north of us launches their own fireworks display & the neighborhood usually lines 71st street & santa fe to watch. do we drive 30 minutes to share a 20 minute show with strangers or walk five minutes for a 30 minute show with our neighbors? the decision made itself.

 

and sure, it was just a small show, but it was done really well. gabe enjoyed it so much that he was almost asleep as the grand finale rolled around.

this is the first fourth of july that i've really been aware of independence (or lack thereof) on so many levels. gabe is the biggest factor, seeing his total dependence on us and thus our responsibility for him, which is itself reflective of our relationship with God. then there's our relative independence as American citizens. i complain a lot about how individual freedoms are losing popularity (and rejoice in their approval), but we've still got it pretty good compared to some. i could list dozens of countries & hundreds of people groups that would give their right arm (and so many have!) for the freedoms - and the people that protect them - that i take for granted. that's a sobering & humbling thought. we don't appreciate the worthy enough.

tim keller says of freedom, "In many areas of life, freedom is not so much the absence of restrictions as finding the right ones, the liberating restrictions." the context of his remark is personal moral autonomy, but i think it's nonetheless a challenge to us as a country as well, finding the bindings that most allow us to soar. er, strut.

i hope everyone had a happy, relaxing & safe independence weekend! don't forget to make reservations now for next year's second annual independence games!