Donna Sines
Community Vision

I serve on the St. Cloud Chamber Board of Directors.  Staff works for months to put on the 4th of the July event at the lakefront so I volunteered to help out this year.  Driving down a side road to the lakefront I noticed American flags on so many houses.  The red, white and blue adorned light posts all over town and even the volunteer t-shirt I was given upon my arrival.  The refreshment tent I worked backed up to the main stage.  Bands and youth groups entertained the growing crowd as dusk approached. It was the perfect family event complete with concessions and anticipation.  And, just before the fireworks were scheduled to go off, a patriotic program featured singers along with big-screen images that evoked patriotism and love of country.  

It was easy to get caught up in the positive celebratory spirit of our country’s birthday party.  There are so many reasons to be both joyful and grateful. ..Joyful for the opportunity to gather as a community with all the freedoms (we sometimes take for granted) and grateful for those whose sacrifice made it possible.  In communities throughout the country the same scenes, worthy of Norman Rockwell, were played out.  Children with faces lighted by sparklers looked to the skies…. Kids sitting atop their daddy’s shoulders eating popcorn and others in red wagons waving little flags.  The smell of barbeque filled the air. Then it was show time.  With everyone’s eyes skyward fireworks exploded to America the Beautiful, John Phillips Sousa and other familiar patriotic tunes.  Where I was standing people burst into song to God Bless America.  It didn’t seem corny at all… it was really nice.  Woos and ayes were audible as bright bursts turned the night sky into a mosaic of bright colors.

There at the St. Cloud lakefront and all over the County and the Country, there was unity.  In the crowd of tens of thousands were Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals, independents and libertarians and it didn’t matter.  The mood was not marred by discussions related to healthcare reform, redistricting, Supreme Court decisions, deficits, or political races.  At a time when our community and nation is so far apart, evidenced daily by a barrage of TV attack ads, judgmental personal labels and accusations of agenda-based decision making; for one day, July 4th all that is put aside. The size of your paycheck matters not and daily challenges are put on a shelf. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every day was the 4th of July?  At least once a year, in the heat of the summer, we are all reminded of what it could be like if the focus was on what joins us together as countrymen… compassion for one another… family… faith and hope for a better tomorrow or in other words life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  

Donna Sines is the executive director of Community Vision.