The past few days as I have been driving into the neighboring subdivisions it has hit me, especially as I have entered the entrances of Gleannloch Farms, that we live in a great country. It struck me as I drove into both of the entrances on different occasions and saw the center medians lined on both sides with large United States flags. What a beautiful sight. What a breath taking sight. What a peaceful feeling I felt at that moment to see such beauty. There is nothing ugly about our flag. What a beautiful thing we have been given to see it freely and to be able to enjoy it.
I am truly grateful for the holidays when these flags go out and the streets become lined with them. It is a gentle reminder of the things we have. I do not believe that one has to serve in a war to fully understand or appreciate what the flag symbolizes or respect its beauty. It is something that has been taught to me from the time I was young. We always respected the flag. I had relatives that served in the wars. We were taught to respect the flag in quiet ways. There was no grandeur or pomp and circumstance that was made, simply a salute and quiet regard while it passed and was posted.
It breaks my heart to see and hear the news from time to time of protests where students do not want to stand or salute during the pledge. It is saddening when I hear about how the pledge is no longer being said in the schools in areas. What are we teaching our children? No, they do not fight a war. No, you may not agree with the wars that are active in our time, but they are your children’s living history. Your grandparents survived WWI and WWII. Your parents survived Vietnam. You survived the first war in Iraq. What will your children survive? They are living their history. Let them live it.
I agree that you should shape it and mold it and try to make it better and work to protect them, but you cannot protect them from the pledge or the flag. There is nothing to protect them from. To protect them from the flag is to erase or pretend your history never happened. To protect them from the flag is to pretend your grandparents’ history was in vain. To deny them the pledge is the pretend that your founding father’s never came to America and never stood on unhallowed ground. To deny them the pledge is to pretend your forefathers never battled for their freedom over principles they felt were sure and right.
No, our country is not perfect but it is great. We have a freedom that many countries do not have. We have the freedom to dream and hope. We have the freedom to have faith in what we choose. We can walk down the street and know that our government will not ambush us. We know that we have certain inalienable rights–rights that our forefathers knew that were true and right. They fought to gain those and to protect those. They built a country that would not take those away from us. That welcomed those who were tired, tattered, and torn.
It is not fair and equal. It was not meant to be. It was meant to be true and just. It was meant to be a safe haven for us where we could worship how, where, and who we may. It was meant to be a safe haven. There was no guarantee that it would be fair. There was no guarantee that it would be equal. There was no guarantee that I would make as much as another. There was no guarantee to an education at an Ivy League school. There was no guarantee to an affordable education. It was a safe haven.
To this day, I stop and give quiet pause when the flag is passing and is posted. I salute. I pledge. I pledge my allegiance to a great country, united, one nation under God and I know that I am protected when I lay my head down at night. I get to sleep in peace at night. I do not have to sleep in fear. I do not have to sleep in severe poverty. I do not have to live my life in severe oppression. I will wake up in the morning and I will do what I want to do. I am not told where I will work and how much I will make. I was not told how many children I had to have and I did not have to worry that I was over populating my country. I have it pretty good. I do not need fair if I am protected from the certain things and have others that I know cannot be taken away from me. I can stand in the street and I can express my opinion. I can carry my weapon if I so choose. I can go to the church of my choice. I can do so many things that so many people dream of elsewhere. Why would I disrespect the symbols of those freedoms?
As I drove down these streets the past few days, I have been humbled. I have had the tears welling up in my eyes. I am truly grateful. The flags are beautiful. I am truly grateful for that beauty. I am grateful that no matter what has happened, our flag is still there…
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