Reflections on Independence Day

✨✨REFLECTING.✨✨⁠ *⁠ Andy and I had a reflective morning on Randall’s Island. Our wedding has been postponed until July 3, 2021, but we went to scope out spots for our small Zoom ceremony this month (yay!) and to do some yoga on the water.⁠ *⁠ As we strolled the pathways of the island, we saw families wearing Black Lives Matter shirts, others blasting Latin music and speaking Spanish, others sitting with their dogs and their coolers and fishing in the East River, and then, of course, there are the people not in view; the ones who choose not celebrate at all.⁠ *⁠ Growing up, the Fourth of July always meant grilling among family, music, and American Flag decorations. There were certainly plenty of people doing this, but it just got me thinking about the holiday and how its significance and history means something different to different people.⁠ *⁠ Hopefully, all of the actions being taken now -- the protests, the petitions, the donations, the educating -- leads to systematic changes that lead to true equality and freedom for all.⁠ *⁠ (p.s. Swipe up in my Instagram Stories to read an article from the Capital Gazette titled, “What does it mean to be a Black American on July 4th? We asked 12 community leaders” that I personally found quite insightful.)⁠ ___⁠ *⁠ *⁠ *⁠ #happy4thofjuly🇺🇸🎉 #july4 #redwhiteblue #4thofjuly2020 #happybirthdayamerica #forthofjuly #starsandstripes #letfreedomring🇺🇸