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Thursday, June 14, 2012

It's Flag Day!

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United
States of America, and to the republic for
which it stands; one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."


And so began every school day for me,
more years ago than I care to admit.  

My relationship with the Pledge of Allegiance nowadays is pretty limited,
and I'm guessing yours is, too.  Unless you are a teacher.  Otherwise,
when was the last time you recited it, with your right hand over your
heart, your body turned toward the nearest American flag?



Today, June 14th, is Flag Day in the USA.
It commemorates the day in 1777 when the Second Continental Congress
adopted the Stars and Stripes as the emblem of the fledgling country.



File:US flag 13 stars – Betsy Ross.svg



In this afternoon's sun, a newly purchased flag
flew briskly from the porch at That Old House.
That's our old flag, next to the front door.
It is sadly worn, and ready to retire; we'll dispose of it properly this weekend.
Thank you, Howard, for the new one.  You remembered:  sewn stripes and embroidered stars!

In May 2009, our daughters Anne and Alida visited Dollar Tree
and stocked up on red, white & blue bling for That Old House.
That flag is the one now retiring; it had flown at our former house, and served for a good many years.

My, my how tasteful and restrained the girls' decorating was.
I am still glad that we had the house repainted last year,
from yellow to white, but I sure do miss the shutters!

Dear Shutter Fairy,
Please send a pot of money so That Old House
can look not naked anymore.  Many thanks.

************************************
As for Old Glory, 
I can't watch it pass in a parade without getting all teary.
But then, I cry at Hallmark commercials.
Ask my kids.

In this intensely political year,
as we duke it out in our only national election,
it doesn't matter where we land on the political spectrum:
The flag flies for all of us.

I love the last two lines of our national anthem:

"O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"


with their reminder that we cannot take the republic for granted.
I wonder how many other national anthems end
with the question: does the nation still stand?


Tomorrow's Friday, and it's minivan adventure time!
-- Cass


8 comments:

  1. Thanks for remembering today was flag day. I am ashamed to say that I forgot. I,too, get teary eyed listening to the Star Spangled Banner and even when saying the Pledge. Throw in a few veterans and I am a sight to behold. God bless all of those that have served, past and present, to allow us to honor the flag publicly. xo Diana

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  2. Looks great, Cass!

    Did you see the sun today??? I almost forgot what it looked like AND I hear it's supposed to stick around for a few days !!!!!


    hugs,
    gena

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  3. Your house looks beautiful with the new flag. Thankyou for such a lovely "Flag Day" post. I got my flags out for the day as well. I like shutters on your house too, I'm sure you'll get some soon though. :)

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  4. I went to a Catholic grade school in Florida. Every morning (as long as the weather was ok) grades 3-8 stood around the flagpole and said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang a patriotic song. (First and second graders couldn't stay still long enough!!)I'm the only person I know who can sing at least two or three verses of every patriotic song ever written! We even sang "God Bless America" in Spanish....sort of. We learned to sing it by listening to the older kids and mimicing what it SOUNDED like they were singing. I don't recall ever seeing the words written anywhere, so who knows if we were anywhere close to the correct pronunciation!!

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  5. What a great post! I love having our flag flying in front of my home everyday. We are so blessed to live in this beautiful country! Have a great weekend! Meghan

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  6. What a lovely tribute. I cry at the site of flag and soldier's uniforms. Last year's 4th of July will remain a high point of my life, when The Soldier came home from a war zone in Iraq on ten day leave to meet his newborn baby...he arrived on The Fourth of July. **sigh** I do hope the shutter fairy comes through for you! **kisses** Deb

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  7. Dear Cass,
    Thank you for this wonderful reminder and tribute. Our house is dressed in her summer red, white and blue. I love "That Old House" in white. It's so stately and the black trim just pops. What happened to your shutters? Thomas took one of ours down and stripped it. After many coats were peeled away, the original color was discovered -- red! This explains why the stained glass transoms above the exterior doors are all red.
    I hope you enjoyed the wonderful spring NJ had.
    Your Friend,
    Deborah

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  8. Yes, Cass, thank you for the wonderful reminder and tribute! It's been a long while since I've recited our flag's allegiance. I get emotional AND proud when singing the National Anthem, too. Despite all the complaints about our country, its' still the best darned place on earth!!

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