Do you hang an American flag outside of your home?
We are inconsistent about displaying the flag at our house. When we moved into our home three years ago, the previous owner’s flag hung out front, and we left it up for months afterward. We did so out of respect for him, I think, and it because it suited the house. One day, as a rainstorm began, though, I took down that tattered flag, its bedraggled state not befitting that for which it stood.
We hadn’t had a flag in our home until yesterday. While walking down the street, in a small town on Cape Cod, a man handed each of my children their very own American flags. Thanking him, they jubilantly ran along, waving their flags and attempting two off-key renditions of the “God Bless America.”
Their enthusiasm was perfect for a sunny Sunday afternoon, but they did struggle a bit to keep their flags safe (and off of one another), so back into adult hands they went. (Here’s a helpful page of flag care recommendations from the American Legion in case you, too, have “exuberant” children.)
This day, and always, I am grateful for our veterans and for all those who serve our country. Honoring our flag is a way of honoring each of them.
Photo credit: jcolman via photopin cc
Exuberant is the word I shall use to describe Max’s flag use as well, after he visited Lexington with my in-laws and picked one up at a shop there.
We do have a flag outside our home on those few days a year, weather depending. With my red house as a backdrop, I always think it looks particularly patriotic.