Flag Day ... [View all]
Shortly past mid-night, my lil' boy told me he had to go out. When I opened the door, the 1st thing to catch my eye was the new flag that was put up just this past week. It is a large all-weather flag on a 28' pole, illuminated by solar lights, the Union facing east.
It is a lovely, fairly cool night here and somewhat cloudy; but there are stars shining thru the clouds. There's no wind blowing; thus, the flag is not waving (which is a beautiful sight to see), it is hanging straight down.
Since Henry wanted to wander around, I sat down to watch him and look at that flag. My mind began to wandering back to so many years ago when that 1st flag was flown during a war for our freedom.
I had two many-great-grandfathers in that war. I bare the name of one of them (and two of his brothers who were with him).
F.S. Key's poem came to mind and I wondered 'were my grand's in that particular location at that time during the night? Were they waiting until dawn to see if the flag was still there?' Did they see it still waving over the home of the brave and the land of the free?
Since that 1st war, we have had to fight other foreign countries in wars for our freedom and our democracy under that flag and won them, proving that we were still the home of the brave and the land of the free. Members of my family have fought in all of them.
Now, a little over 250 years later, those of us who love that flag; and the country, freedom and democracy she represents are finding ourselves in another war. This time it is different - the greatest enemies are not foreign; they are within our own country.
Thus it is, that if F.S. Key were to ask me tonight, "Does that flag still fly over the home of the brave and the land of the free?" I would have to say, "No! But, it does still fly over the home of the brave and we, the brave will fight until we can see, by another dawn's light, our flag still flying over the home of the free." The fight is not over.
Happy Flag Day, Old Glory!
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