Freedom is not a given - it's a privilege

That first time I pulled up... I saw it.

It was flying gloriously from a proper pole right there on a post off his front porch and it wasn't even the Fourth of July! ... I didn't really think about his proclamation, I guess.

He grew up in a small military town near Death Valley in California. His father had spent his entire 35 year career working on the base as a civilian draftsman. Both of his parents were born & raised in that small town where patriotism was taught, appreciated, believed in, acted out and respected. I had held my hand on my heart alongside all those other kids going through the public school system every morning; we pledged our allegiance to it, we praised it's symbolism and we were taught to appreciate what it stood for, because that was the right thing to do. My sisters, father and I had to apply for the privilege to call it our own. We were officially granted, and it is documented that we were bestowed the right on

July Eleventh, 1979...

This honorable symbol has been shot at, burned, spit upon and stomped on... I don't understand why...? Do we not realize that our way of life is one that so many throughout the world will never experience?! Do we not know that our flag is considered a beacon to so many?! Do we not understand, recall or think about the unimaginable sacrifice that has gone into securing the freedom and independence we are now in possession of?

Freedom is actually not a given, folks.

It is EARNED - we work for it; past, present & future!

Our flag and what it stands for:

hardiness and valor,

vigilance, perseverance and justice,

purity & innocence

should never ever be taken for granted.

This symbol of our country and all that it entails deserves our pride and respect

each and every day!

Wishing Happy Day of Independence 2017 to the U.S.A.!

Let's celebrate with parades, BBQs, fireworks and great appreciation!

And... we can talk about the clowns next time...

Comments

In Loving Memory...

I have an "inspiration" binder that I keep on a shelf in my office at home where I’ve collected pictures of things I've found in magazines. There's a few priceless treasures of artwork that my kids made me tucked in there too. I only add super special stuff - things that I know I'll love for the long term. Anyway, we were talking about a project at the house when I suddenly thought of a photo I wanted to share with Russ and brought the binder out. As I was flipping through these pages of images that I'd saved over a good decade of time, I found this little quote Mom had sent to me. I don't know when she sent it, but I had liked it so much. There it was, this two sentence quote that SHE must have cut out of a magazine. The words were highlighted in what was now a faded yellow marker and she’d written four little words above it on a hot pink sticky note in her beautiful cursive writing. A note just for me. Reminding me to believ...

Starting Out - The Adventures of Marvin and Mavis Magpie - Chapter 2

They had just spent their first real night in the new place, the one they had built together. It was a great starter nest! They had worked side by side to find the perfect twigs and tufts of winter grass to stitch it all together just right. There were no adornments, just a nice roof over their heads, and it would most definitely survive the typical spring and summer time weather a neighborhood at 7200 feet could expect! As the sun began to rise behind the gloomy clouds and morning showers, the slight breeze swayed their high rise just a bit and Marvin whispered, "Nothing to be alarmed about, Mavis, trees of this size will shimmy and shake, especially this far up from the ground!" "Mamma always told me there was no time for worry" Mavis replied, "besides, it's time to get up and get going with our day!" "Yes! Indeed it is my fine lady" Marvin smiled and with that headed toward the door to go fi...

Amazing Doors

DBR... no... A DBR.... huh? I officially proclaim that the Amazing Doors By Russ company needs to be formed! One of my first impressions was that he seemed like a nice "Southern boy"... He has this sweet twang in his voice. What I eventually came to learn was that he was from California... Southern California! Everyone hates Californians, don't they?! What? Did I say that? haha - only jokingly of course - it's just that, there is a stigma that seems to come with being a Californian, right? Sophistication or Surfer dude... the different aura he had was apparent, but I wasn't sure exactly why. Turns out he grew up as a desert rat... not as a hippie dude surfer or movie star... but in a small military based town near Death Valley. He grew up as a nice mannered kid with a couple of brothers, lots of friends, fun outdoor activities and interesti...

Welcome!

Search This Blog