What a celebration! It may look different this year, but we gather this weekend with food, fireworks, friends, and family to honor the very beginning of our country.

The thirteen American colonies became independent states united together but no longer under British rule. In order to achieve that independence, we had to believe it was possible to exist without the help of a long established country to support us. We would be self governing and self reliant. Moving forward on our own and responsible to no one. Isn’t that how independence works?

A couple years ago, for the first time, I remember reading about the history of Mother’s Day in America. It surprised me. The official holiday all seemed to start with a woman named, Ann Reeves Jarvis. She was determined to honor her own mother’s legacy and the sacrifices women make for their children. After accomplishing her dream to get an official US holiday, she later denounced it because of the commercialism that now surrounded it. If you want to see more of that history, it can be found at history.com.

Legacy building is uniquely personal to each of us. We all have different moments in our history that make us into who we are. When we try to be someone else, we fail. But when we take the legacy that others have given us, and we develop it into our own, our story and life shine brighter. Our impact on others grows and God is honored by us fully growing into who we are meant to be.

That’s what happened for me at a very unexpected time and age over forty years ago.

Is it raining in your house? Yes, you read that correctly. Is it raining IN your house?

They say April showers bring May flowers. We’ve had some rain, haven’t we? And not just the kind falling outside our windows while we sit inside anticipating being out in the sunshine. No, we have had some life impacting, family destroying storms brewing around us. Each of them capable of devastating our families in some way - breaking down relationships, depleting our finances, or threatening our health.

So what do we do?

Little girls love to dance. And we love to immortalize these moments. Cue the sound of music soundtrack - “I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly.” Whether our kids are natural dancers with amazing rhythm and finesse or they awkwardly wiggle with some obscure dance move like Elaine from Seinfeld, we encourage them to dance.

Why? Because dancing is joyful and when we have joy, we feel peace. As dancers develop, they refine their artistic expression and grow their passion. They can lead their audience through a range of emotions.

Don’t you love a good story? Me too!

A good story draws you in. It not only engages the mind, but the heart as well. We have a lot of great storytellers on both sides of our family. But even if your family doesn’t have good storytellers. The stories are worth telling, hearing, and knowing. Knowing family stories helps us remember who we are. It strengthens our identity.

Let me share one of our family stories with you. I’ve told this story before, but I can’t help sharing it again. It’s a good one.

How many times have you found yourself coming up short - being stuck in a place where you just need more? You are not alone. At some point we all get stuck and need more. More friends. More health. More money. More time. It’s easy to need more.

Do you need more right now?

Today, I’m sitting here avoiding something. I’ve been avoiding it for a couple of weeks now. To everyone else it just looks like a red naugahyde zippered portfolio filled with papers. I haven’t actually opened it up yet, I just know it has papers inside. But I’m avoiding it. My family hasn’t noticed me look toward the windowsill and then look away deciding not to touch it. I haven’t been ready. Staying away is easier.