(C) 2025, Isaiah Jacobs
I almost let Independence Day pass without writing, as my schedule has been crazy busy this season. Between nearly 23″ of rain that has caused delays in finishing up my yard work, as I usually have everything planted and mulched by June 20, a new workout routine at the gym that’s requiring a bit more time, and a few other essential events in life, I have been overwhelmed. However, today has a history of good memories that I like to reflect on.
When I was a young boy, my parents would take us to my mother’s Aunt Mary’s house for a huge July 4th family reunion picnic. I had already been visiting with my grandmother before my parents came to visit. When we would head out to the celebration, I always wondered how many trains I would miss, as she lived near the busy Chesapeake and Ohio Railway tracks. How many? I will never know.
As we headed to the party, we always had a bit of a tradition of our own. Especially when we got to Pinch Ridge, WV. My father always felt the need to pinch my mother at that location. Later in life, I would do the same to my wife when we visited. I would get into the same trouble with my wife as my father had all those years.
When I was young, I didn’t appreciate the beauty of family reunions as much as my mother did. For her, it was a time to catch up with her parents, sister, brother, a few aunts, uncles, and cousins. She looked forward to it from the moment we got home from one to the time we attended the following year.
When I look back on those events, I realize that I was more introverted then than I am now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still an introverted nerd and proud of it. I didn’t enjoy the reunions because there wasn’t anyone my age with whom I could play. I would enjoy a few hikes in the woods, watching for snakes at every single step, or a hike up to the top of the knob. My mother’s aunt lived on the side of a mountain. You could hike to the top of it by walking up the side. It was called a knob because their driveway circled it. When we got back to grandmother’s house, I would look up and down the railroad tracks, hoping to see a train or two to make up for missing the whole day. What I didn’t know at the time was that most, if not all, trains weren’t running due to the holiday.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized the importance of family, even when you’re an introverted nerd and want to sit by the railroad tracks all day, waiting for the trains to roll by. Family is more important than that. I realized that fact many years ago and have enjoyed visiting those relatives still living. Thankfully, I spent time with family closest to me before they passed away, and I couldn’t get together with them.
My mother’s side of the family is where I inherited Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). Though I didn’t understand, or care about all that, as life was an adventure of exploring, as it should be for a young boy. I remember the family sharing their aches and pains, dealing with the disease. At the time, it wasn’t comforting to know that I could have to deal with that. However, that’s not necessarily true. CMT has various strains that affect people in different ways. Even if my brother and I had CMT Type 2, our symptoms weren’t necessarily the same. In the back of my mind, I think hearing what others had to say about the disease was an encouragement to fight against it.
Today is the 249th birthday, Independence Day, of our country. Remember to be thankful for the country and freedoms we have. Have a blessed fourth!
