Barbecue And The 4th Of July…

First of all I’d like to wish you a happy 4th of July and I’m hoping you have your smoker fired up for some good ole fashion barbecue!

Nothing goes with the 4th of July like BBQ except one thing — Fireworks!

So last night I attended a 4th of July fireworks display with my girlfriend, Michelle, and our little girls Gabrielle, Alexa and Kirsten.

Now if this wasn’t already a treat, Michelle’s sister, Amie and her two little ones, JJ and Abby were Also in town from Michigan.

First of all I must give “Auntie” Amie mad props as she drives all the way from Michigan to Philly in the family truckster ( AKA “mini van”) with just her and the two munchkins who are 5 and 2.

You see, Amie is a stay at home mom ( One of the Hardest jobs in the world by way ) and her Husband, Jason “Chill Dog” works for a major pharmaceutical company and he just cant get the time away to come visit us back east.

So Amie makes the 10 hour drive with her two little ones all by herself…how she does it I have no idea but she does it quite often…so everyone is excited about Auntie Amie, JJ and Abby girl coming for a visit for the 4th of July!

So anyway we were all gathered around waiting for the fireworks to start. We laid out our blankets and towels on the ground and our snacks at arms length.

The kids were having a blast running around, rolling down the grassy hills and eating their sugary snacks.

So when the fireworks display started, I watched the excitement in their little faces. I thought to myself how lucky we all were having this chance to celebrate our independence.

You know, all this talk about a “recession”, high gas prices and food shortages I’m thinking we’re all still very lucky to live in the United States.

As an American we can walk into any store and buy endless amounts of food. Even though gas prices have risen, we still have the ability to buy as much of it as we need.

This country gives each and every one of us the ability to change our current situation, IF you take action.

Did you know immigrants are 70% more likely to start a business than natural born American Citizens?

I think many of us have taken our opportunities in this country for granted.

We are too busy watching TV, too busy hoping a new president will change our current situation or too busy buying lottery tickets.

In short, we have gotten soft!

But the great thing about our country is you have the ability to take control of your life, all you have to do is take action and seize the opportunity.

So as you’re eating your barbecue and watching fireworks, remember why we have this opportunity.

Happy 4th of July…

Now go smoke something, Bill Parlaman

P.S. I’d like to leave you with this video of Ray Charles singing America the Beautiful. Here’s a man who lost his eye site at the age of 6, learned to play the piano, clarinet and saxophone. He also taught him self to read and write music in Braile.

It’s true, opportunities are endless in this country, all you need to do is take action!

Enjoy!