Flags are flying everywhere in preparation for Memorial Day.
New ones,
old ones,
little ones,
absolutely huge ones..
I still get a chill when I see those stars and stripes, just as I did when I was young. Growing up overseas meant I didn’t see the American flag often, and when I did she was almost always “on duty..”
atop an embassy
off a warship’s stern
at a checkpoint
or the entrance to a military installation..
not at the mall
or hardware store
or local car dealership.
But hey, Old Glory can go from business to casual
from front lines to home front
without wrinkling a stripe
or crinkling a star.
She is fun and freedom
but she can be fierce.
She is the visual representation of
our highest ideals
and a reminder of the sacrifices made to preserve them.