MATTHEWS: There’s something about Independence Day

In recent years, though, I found myself yearning to see the big, spectacular fireworks I used to when I was younger

fireworks
(Jordan Golson / North State Journal)

When I was a little girl, we lived not too far from the beach, and sometimes we’d visit the waterways around July Fourth to enjoy the Independence Day celebrations and, most importantly, check out the fireworks displays.

While just closing my eyes and listening to the fireworks being set off would have been enough, there was always something so magical about seeing them light up the clear night sky and also the strands of red, white and blue lights that sometimes adorned nearby boats, with the pretty colors reflecting off the water.

When we moved from that coastal part of eastern North Carolina to Charlotte in the early 1980s, we’d still go check out fireworks displays uptown on occasion, and while it was enjoyable at the time, it wasn’t the same to me as seeing them at the beach.

As I got into my late teens and early 20s, I found out about fireworks at the lake, which was awesome and a lot like the ones at the beach.

Some of my best memories as a young woman finding her way in the world were of parking with family and friends near the bridge at Lake Wylie to watch the various displays and the boats sail by, all decked out with the festive colors of the season, with American flags billowing softly in the wind in celebration of our country’s independence.

Somewhere along the way, however, going to see the fireworks became something I did less and less. It was partly due to neighbors putting on their displays nearby, which I could walk down the street to watch, and also because I had settled into new routines with different priorities.

In recent years, though, I found myself yearning to see the big, spectacular fireworks I used to when I was younger. But being a caregiver makes doing things like that a challenge, so Mom and I would settle for listening to the fireworks that would go off in the distance on Independence Day and New Year’s Eve, since we didn’t have neighbors close by who were conducting their own displays.

That all changed several years ago, though, when Mom and I had gone to bed one July Fourth only to hear loud popping around 11 p.m. or so, which I knew were fireworks.

It was closer than normal, so I peeked out the blinds but didn’t see anything at first. Then I went back to bed, but not only did I hear fireworks a few minutes later, but I also saw slivers of them through my blinds, which are older and don’t fully close at the top.

I jumped out of bed, and this time I stayed at the window for longer than a few seconds. Sure enough, a wave of fireworks was being set off in the distance, but close enough that Mom and I had our own fireworks displays that we could enjoy from the comfort of our bedrooms.

It was super cool, and when I went into Mom’s room and let her know, she sat up and looked out her window, with the fireworks dazzling us both as they went off.

We don’t know where exactly they’re being staged, but it’s been that way for the last few years to the point that if they weren’t set off so late in the evening, we’d be able to pull up patio chairs to watch the colorful lights and hear the crackling sounds they make.

The simple pleasures in life, brought to us for free by an unknown person or people who clearly enjoy the holiday and have no idea the smiles they’ve brought to our faces.

There’s something so special about Independence Day, you know?

North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.