A Step Back in Time to Remember

This past Friday evening, my dad, aunt, uncle & I made our way over to Town & Country to Congressman Todd Akin's farm for an old-fashioned Independence Day celebration. We parked in the lot designated for all those attending & took a trolley to the Akin's property.As we stepped off the trolley, we were greeted by those wearing clothing most likely appropriate to that of the American Revolution time period.As instructed, we carried covered dishes for a potluck picnic. Talk about food galore! What a tough decision it was trying to determine which line to jump in as there was table after table full of good eatin's! There was no shortage of things to see or do...plenty for all ages be it a walk to see the little piglets at the petting zoo, the replica boat from the Lewis & Clark Expedition, representatives from the military there with their luggage, equipment & gear for all to see (which reminds me, as I listened to one of the soldiers tell about the things on his table, a young boy pointed to an item & asked what it was. The solider replied, "That's a tape recorder, son" & began to tell him how it worked & what it could be used for. It was at that moment, I no longer felt young-not comforting!), etc.For me, the highlight was the drum & fife corp. I was feeling the red, white & blue even more when they played my personal favorite, The Battle Hymn of the Republic (I might add that the song used to be the song I would regularly sing while showering).Throughout the evening, there were many speakers who recited various readings or poems made famous throughout the history of our country. We all joined in singing a number of patriotic songs.A cavalry was present & showed us some of their maneuvers. It was amazing to see just how precise they were with each & every move. Also, how well-trained the horses were was fascinating (which, we learned that a number of the horses present has been in major motion pictures such as: Glory & The Patriot). Everyone was eager to see & hear from Congressman Akin but he had yet to arrived & he was in flight from D.C. after a day spent in filibuster. Todd's wife, Lulli, kept everyone informed as to Todd's whereabouts & finally, when word was received that he was approaching the lawn, everyone stood to their feet to give him a hearty welcome. After we Mr. Akin spoke, we began packing up our belongings to head home. We jumped back on the trolley & were en route to our car when we were held up thanks to fireworks (due to where the fireworks were being shot off at & the closeness in proximity to us, no cars were allowed thru). I expected the showing to be over within a few minutes. I was wrong. Lulli was not kidding when she said Todd loves fireworks. The display lasted about 20 minutes & for a private party, I would say it was better than good. By the time we made it home, it was nearly midnight. But..it was well worth it. Apparently this was the 12th year that the Akin's had hosted such an event. Though I had not been before, I look forward to going back again next year. 4th of July has always been my favorite Holiday so to experience something so great...honoring our country in such a way, was wonderful. Thank God for Christian leaders like Todd Akin that are carrying the torch so that truly, His truth will continue marching on!