I too, am giving this 250 ‘Celebration’ a big MEH. 50 years ago the US Bicentennial, the ‘Spirit of 76’, was such a joy such a party all year long! I grew up in the Centennial state, Colorado, so there was double the fun there and lots of celebrations for both events.

It was also a time of great sadness for me, when at 20 I lost my dad to cancer and was still caring for a mother who had recently undergone open-heart surgery (which was a big deal back in those days). I had two younger sisters going through it all with me and we managed to still find the excitement and energy to celebrate. I do fondly remember spending time together piecing and hand quilting, a baby quilt for the sister of a friend of ours who was having a ‘Bicentennial Baby’.

I hope that in 50 years, my grandkids will be able to enjoy another ‘Spirit of 76’ much like the one I did, and that our Ship of State has righted itself and done a course correction back to the path of freedom and justice for all!