Monday, June 15, 2009

Flag Day


Sunday, June 14th was Flag Day.

When I was a kid, my mother took me back east to visit her family after school was out. My grandfather, an immigrant from Denmark, fought in World War One, which earned his U.S. citizenship. The neighborhood of my grandparents burst out with flags that day.

My most touching memory of flags was immediately after September 11, 2001. Flags went up all over my neighborhood, again.

As a child in the public schools, I started each day, joining the teacher and the class saying the Pledge of the Allegiance. The flag as a symbol transcends the piece of cloth to represent the American culture, values, and principles far greater than ourselves.

It was Red Skelton that later taught me the meaning behind those words: Red and the Pledge

Photo from everystockphoto.com: Flags in Queen Anne

2 comments:

  1. I have a flag flying on my porch everyday. I can see it through my window, waving in the breeze. How awesome is the daily reminder of this wonderful nation that we live in. No matter the rough times we go through we stand because we are a nation under God and we are a tough people.
    I had never seen the Red Skelton video. A reminder that we need to be ever watchful over our freedoms.

    ReplyDelete
  2. For me, the flag had special meaning after 9-11 when our ideals as a country was attacked. Also, there are few if no other countries that have a "Bill of Rights" to protect its citizens. These are precious.

    ReplyDelete