My granny always said if God had intended her to fly, He would have given her wings.

Since I have no wings, I, too, prefer to keep my feet, and all the rest of me, on the ground.

My memories of the Fourth of July center around sparklers, firecrackers and spitting watermelon seeds.

But, one Fourth of July stands clear … for I had wings.

My flight out of Denver, Colorado was a red-eye…on the Fourth of July.

I’m a fan of The Twilight Zone so, I dared not look out the window into the darkness or I just might see a haunting face looking back at me.

However, it was the Fourth of July and there was just a chance I might see fireworks lighting the sky beneath me.

Perhaps, surprisingly, as I looked down into the darkness, every city, every hamlet and every little hollow was lighting the sky in celebration of America’s Independence. At times, the fireworks filled the sky, at other times only a lonely Roman candle saluted America’s freedom. But, no matter how magnificent the fireworks or how simple, Americans were saluting freedom and those who penned the Declaration of Independence and those who keep America free.

Hopefully, tonight, all across the United States of America, we, the people, will fill the skies with visual salutes to America and, hearts, with grateful appreciation for the freedoms of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness “from sea to shining sea.”

God bless America!