Thursday, June 14
Goodness…it’s turned Fall while we’ve been here in Richmond. We awoke this morning to dark skies and cool weather; in fact, at one point, we even turned on the heater for a little bit.
We spent most of the morning trying to decide if we really wanted to venture out into the real world and play tourists. It seemed so comfy and right to just do nothing…I think we both are dreading the long trip home and are trying to be as lazy as possible while we can.
Now for the serious side of our journal…within the last two days, we’ve had requests for prayer and we’d like to ask you to join us…
First, Amy, the sister of a friend we mentioned earlier, had surgery again on her kidney. They fixed her mangled urethra; also, the artery from the heart to the ovaries was tangled with varicose veins and scar tissue. We are praying that she will be able to keep food down. If she can’t, they will have to tube feed her; but, then, they are afraid of the infection that might cause. Plus, her blood pressure is low, so they are unable to keep the pain under control. If you will, continue to lift Amy and her family up to the Lord.
Next, Tracy, the niece of a friend, is a nurse in Denver and while she was taking blood from a woman with AIDS, the needle broke, went through her glove and into her finger. They are treating her very aggressively, but they won't know for 6 months if she has contracted AIDS. Tracy and her family need prayers, not only for Tracy’s health, but for peace and hope during this time. Thank you for your prayers.
June 14th (for those of you who do not know it) was declared National Flag Day in 1947 when President Harry Truman signed legislation requesting that it be observed annually. The first annual celebration of the US Flag is believed to have been introduced by a Wisconsin schoolteacher in 1885. In 1894 the governor of New York ordered that the American Flag be displayed at all public buildings in the state on June 14. Then in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first nationwide Flag Day. Another interesting tidbit is that Flag Day is a legal holiday in Pennsylvania. I’m assuming that this is because that’s where Betsy Ross lived and she is the reputed designer of the first American flag.
With that said, we decided that today was the perfect day for us to include a piece that Jim wrote for my language arts classes on February 1, 2003, when I was teaching a reading unit on
patriotism at West Middle School in Liberal, Kansas. I was so overwhelmed with Jim’s talent and thoughts that I encouraged him to copyright it. (Which, by the way, is a fairly time consuming process and then you have to wait to see if your copyright is approved. And, his was!)THE PROMISE
I am the flag of the United States of America. It is almost impossible to go through a day without seeing me…flying proudly over public buildings and military bases…marching at the head of parades…or displayed as lapel pins on the jackets of patriots, young and old.
Perhaps nowhere do I strive to be displayed more proudly than in the schools of our country, for it is there that the first lessons of patriotism are taught to those who will grow up to guide, guard, and defend the country I represent.
But even there, as I am seen by millions of students each school day, I am in danger of neglect. Like all things that are commonplace, I am often taken for granted, and the pledge that was written to show honor to my colors and my country becomes a meaningless ritual, chanted without thought, by young people who have not learned, or who have forgotten that I represent the sacrifices, hopes, and dreams of all who came before, and of countless millions around the world who would share in their freedom.
It seems that it is only in the times of war or national tragedy that I have meaning to the masses who call this land their home. If that is true, then our country is only one generation away from losing the rights and privileges that I represent, and that you take for granted. For after all, if you don’t care, then who will teach those who follow you?
Whether I fly proudly over the buildings of your community, or am placed beside the flags of your houses of worship…whether I am seen as a pin in the lapel of a military veteran, or as an oversized decoration covering the playing field of a football or baseball stadium…or whether you see me draped in silence over the coffin of a father, mother, sister, brother, son, or daughter who served or gave their life for this country, I still represent each and every one of you, and the freedoms that were won on the battlefields around the world.
To you I make this promise…
“I pledge allegiance to those who call the United States of America their home. I will fly proudly as a symbol of your hopes and dreams, and of the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed to gain and protect your rights, privileges, and freedoms. For as long as I am honored and respected, I will be a daily reminder that we are truly ‘one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’”
James A. Little
February 1, 2003Liberal, Kansas
©2003
Proud to be Americans…Jim and Barbara
“The flag of the United States has not been created by rhetorical sentences in declarations of independence and in bills of rights. It has been created by the experience of a great people, and nothing is written upon it that has not been written by their life. It is the embodiment, not of a sentiment, but of a history.” ~Woodrow Wilson
