As we celebrate 4th of July this weekend, I thought how American this house looked. I came across this house on my walk and was happy to see the American flag in the window. It reminded me of when I was young, celebrating with a barbecue and fireworks afterwards. Of course, we were always told to “be careful,” so we wouldn’t blow our hands off or burn the house down.

The little community where I lived in Indiana always had a Fireman’s Ball for the 4th of July. They would open the firehouse for the evening, provide some food, hire a band and all of the neighbors would come. A nice way to bring the community together and also to honor and acknowledge our fire department.

I was reading Life In A Word’s Blog. He wrote about the “4 Miles in the Forest” yearly run that he participated in recently which honors and benefits the Black Forest Fire/Rescue Department. A few years ago 500 firefighters were in Colorado battling the Black Forest Fire, which was devastating. You can read the story on his blog.

I live close to a fire department and every weekend, as you can see in the photo, they are taking care of the fire trucks and doing different drills, so they are prepared for any call they might receive.

With summer here and lots of fireworks this weekend, there is that possibility that a fire might break out. As my fellow Blogger mentioned in “Life In A Word,” the firefighters put their lives on the line every day for us.  It’s true, they are the “unsung heroes.”

So, this 4th of July, if you come across some firefighters, tip your hat to them or treat them to coffee/lunch… for sure, they will smile and feel appreciated!