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Honor the flag by flying it
By Rebecca Messmann
There has been a great fuss at my house this week. Once again we will be celebrating Independence Day without a flag flying.
Oh, it’s not because we are making a political statement. Nope, no statements here. It’s not because we don’t have one. We have a few actually. We even have the one for our old boat that was sold when we relocated to Texas nine years ago! Nope, we have plenty of flags to fly.
Our problem is that while we are not lacking for flags we are lacking for a place to put one. Oh, and it’s not because we don’t know where we want it. We want it hanging from a pole attached to the house. We even have the place picked out.
This was also an issue around Memorial Day. My mom really wanted the flag flying, and to our credit we even went out and bought a new flag pole and a new flag. Bring that total flag count to somewhere around three or four now residing somewhere in our house.
It’s not for lack of thinking about it or lack of trying. It’s just that putting the flag pole up on a brick house requires a bit more thought than say driving the flag pole into the ground. Not only does it require a special drill bit to drill the holes, but boy you better also get it right the first time otherwise nice little holes will decorate the front of the house instead of the flag.
All this flag business got me thinking the other day and of course when I start thinking; it really means I am pondering over some unanswerable question. The question this week was why if our flag is so important don’t we honor it by flying it?
Every year here in Texas someone will fly the Confederate flag and the debates start up. Is it right or wrong? What does it stand for? If you fly that flag what are you trying to say? Everyone has an opinion.
God forbid someone should hang a Nazi flag outside their home. I am not sure what that would provoke, but it would not be good.
Flags have the power over us to rally our emotions, to pull out our desires. It truly is a magical thing when a flag is raised.
The Jolly Roger skull and crossbones pirate flag from days of old brought fear and knowledge that harm was near. A white flag is trusting. When flags are made, symbols and colors are woven in by the maker just to provoke a reaction. They want you to notice the flag and be motivated by it, whether for good or bad. The flag is the ultimate symbol of a country’s heart and soul.
We even take special care of our flag. We hold it a certain way, we fold it a certain way. There are rules of order when the flag is raised and lowered. It’s a whole language wrought with remembrance and respect.
The American flag that flies over our country today is actually our 27th flag since the Stars and Stripes took the stage in 1777. Our current flag became official in 1960 a year after Hawaii was admitted as our 50th state, according to USFlag.org. For the last 48 years we have rested under this rendition of our flag and still it calls to us when raised.
So, why is it that this flag can pull from us the greatest of emotions but yet at my house we can’t find the time to put one up? Why is it that I am not alone? Why is it that we reserve the honor of a flag flying for special occasions and don’t bother with displaying it every day?
Yep, see I was not just thinking about this but was truly pondering unanswerable questions. I don’t really know why it has not been a vital duty to raise the flag at our home. Maybe, I just take for granted that the flag honors me and mine simply by being in existence.
You know though the more I thought about it, there really is no good excuse for not flying our flag. Not only does it mark us a country united and strong but it also remembers all of the history that has transpired to bring us to today. It marks our country as a place of promise of opportunity; it should at least mark our homes as that, too. So, looks like I am or should I say dear hubby is putting up a flag this weekend. Won’t you join us? A city full of flags might just compete with fireworks for the oohs and aahs.
Rebecca Messmann is a freelance writer. She may be reached at rlmessmann@gmail.com.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
JSM wrote on Jul 28, 2008 9:46 AM:
" The flag pole could have been installed quciker than the time took to write this "flag" column... "
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