Our Flag

As we drove up to a funeral on Saturday, we passed a car which sported a ragged half of a tiny American flag which was flapping mightily in the wind.  It  caused me to wonder about the flippant way our society treats our stars and stripes these days. Flags are left out day and night, rain or shine, and sometimes left to rot at the top of the flagpole to which they are attached, ragged edges deteriorating almost as one watches. I remember the days when the flag was raised each morning and lowered each evening, usually accompanied by some patriotic action. As a Girl Scout, I learned how to carefully fold the flag for storage until the next time it was hoisted to the sky.  Children sometimes knew and could sing all four verses of “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.”

            I’m so grateful for every business, school, and government building which has the flag prominently displayed, and I trust the colors encourage each American to be thankful for our nation.

            The flag is more than just a symbol of what we hold dear, and an analogy can be drawn: The cloth of the flag will slowly disintegrate when not treated with care. The storms of political disagreement, human greed, and plain civil disrespectfulness will erode and disintegrate the foundations of our great nation. 

            That little half-a-flag I observed on the speeding car will one day be no more unless its owner decides to care for it properly. And the United States of America?  Let’s do what we can in our own circles to restore trust, civility, and honesty, vote our conscience, and ask God for His protection and wisdom.