But, Precious One, self-confidence is not what you need. In fact, the more self-confident you are, the more disappointment you are likely to endure. You do not need self- confidence at all, Precious One. What you need is God-confidence. The fireworks are over, but not so over that the smell of sulfur is gone from the air or the sound of one last left-over firecracker has become unlikely.
Parades are fun ways to brag - to show off our best.
In small towns and big cities parades bragged down main street, showing off floats, bands, heroes, and Boy Scouts. Our morning paper had a whole list of firework brags. In Houston, you could choose among dozens of sites that promised pyrotechnic displays of elaborate awesomeness. That was a national prayer and repentance day - a solemn occasion for considering not just the victory and hope that lay in the political step that was taken, but also the hurt of separation and the tremendous risks that the future in an unknown, uncharted, often hostile land held. The psyche and soul of America used to take itself much more seriously and humbly than it does today.