July 4th as a New US Resident

Somehow this ended up in my draft box instead...

This is the first July 4th in many years I have celebrated as a resident of the United States. It feels awkward to even write that... like I'm talking about someone else. But, you can see what I mean:

July 4th, 1992: Costa Rica
July 4th, 1994: Estonia
July 4th, 1995: China
July 4th, 1997: China
July 4th, 1998: China
July 4th, 1999: China
July 4th, 2000: China
July 4th, 2001: China
July 4th, 2006: Singapore
July 4th, 2007: Singapore
July 4th, 2008: China

This list is to remind myself that these strange feelings I'm having today-- there's a reason for them. I tell you, it feels entirely different to celebrate your own country's national holiday in another country. It either makes you even MORE patriotic than normal, or it makes you feel like "our" way of viewing the world can be a bit narrow. I've felt both. And today? Well today, I'm just a person seeking to remember who I am in Christ, in the midst of the massive changes in our lives...holding to the foundation & freedom that is true no matter what it says on my passport!

You know what was really special about this July 4th? My dad & I climbed up on the roof of the house I grew up in and talked. We said we were going up there to watch fireworks-- (and my parents do have a great view of downtown San Antonio skyline from the roof-- who knew?)-- but after witnessing Chinese New Year celebrations out my bedroom window the last few years, I have to say that US fireworks just can't compare. (China did invent them, after all.) Back to my point. My dad and I talked. About life. On the roof. Treasured time.

Speaking of roofs, in the next post... I'll update our housing search... maybe we will have an address by then??