About 200 yards away just across a busy traffic artery there stands a flag pole with a giant American flag raised to the top.   The morning blue sky perfectly mats the red, white and blue.  Cars scoot easily by at this time of day thanks to the freedom of movement we enjoy in this country.

The flag’s upper left corner holds a white star for each state of our union against a navy blue background.  Six white stripes horizontally placed evenly between seven red ones fill the rest of it.  The thirteen stripes correspond to the 13 original colonies that began our nation.  As I try to remember their meaning, the red recalls the blood of protectors shed to preserve our freedom;  the white purity.  May our motives always be pure as a nation!

The wind flows strongly past the flag making it wave ever so proudly.  It’s a grand old flag.

If I travel to another land, this flag welcomes me home.

The flag is only material sewed into a pattern.  The sacrifices and founding principles of our country give it meaning.  May our actions as a nation always be guided by liberty and justice for all.