Here's to all the heroes out there that no one thinks about on this day.

I come from a desert. I don't live in one now - Louisiana is beautiful and lush, blessed with a great deal of rain - frequently too much, such as during Katrina. But for much of my youth I lived in a desert in California. The Fourth of July meant fire. Not just fireworks, but fire - often uncontrolled. As kids we couldn't understand why the laws were so strict. We couldn't buy fireworks until one week before the 4th and the booths dissappeared the day after. My dad believed in obeying the law; but I knew a lot of kids whose parents would take them across borders to get illegal fireworks, because after all - it was innocent fun. And every year there were deaths. But kids don't understand that.

As an adult, I stand in awe of you - the guardians who are there to try and protect those children whose parents weren't strong enough to say "no" or weren't home enough to stop the stupidity. I wonder how many lives you've saved that have come back and thanked you. I wonder how often you have cried over the ones you couldn't save. I hope someone has told you what a difference you make. If they have, let me.

Thank you for caring, for risking everything to save us from our own stupidity in the throes of celebration. I pray we never lose another one of you because of our foolishness. I pray our children live long enough to grow up. I pray our parents realize the responsibility they have to make sure days like today are safe for their children. I pray your families know the heroes you are.

Thank you.