I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag

Picture if you will, a little girl, about 7 years old, in a red, white and blue outfit, bright red CROCS upon her feet...a patriotic barrette holding back her wispy bangs....a serious look upon her cherubic face...her hand, with chubby little pink fingers resting over her heart. Standing proudly watching the parade begin to appear before her, she is eager for the show of patriotism that follows, she respectfully shows her love of her country as the flag makes its way past her small form standing in the crowd around her. As she watches the beginning of the parade to appear, flag leading the way, she finds herself softly saying to herself the pledge of allegiance, a pledge she speaks so often during the school year but which seems so timely at this moment in her life.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag"....she thinks of the flag before her, the colors so bright, so true, and so clear...standing out so crisply when the flag flies in the breeze. She thinks of how proud she is to live in this country...to call herself an American.

"...of the United States of America!"... to this little girl the flag is a symbol of what our country is...of how lucky we are to be in the United States instead of another country far away...a country where she might not be able to go to school and learn....a country where she might not be so safe.

"....and to the republic, for which it stands"....to this girl, it stands for the freedom to live wherever one chooses. And it stands for the freedom and right to speak ones opinion...on any subject...at any time, without fear.

"....one nation, under God"....she knows that this country was formed out of a need to worship God in the way our forefathers felt best...that is...in any way that anyone feels is right for them...to her it speaks of the right to choose ones own religion, each persons decision...not that of a King or any other leader.

"....Indivisible"....no one, nothing will ever break us down or hurt us! We will stand tall! We will be united through good times and bad! The thought makes her smile...

"....with liberty"....she thinks of the men who fought the British so bravely so many years ago and how they wanted "liberty" for every man! And how proud they must have felt when they won that right for all Americans...then and now.

"....and justice"....she realizes how great it is to be guaranteed the right to a trial of ones peers...not just the rich or the elite but everyone...all men will receive equal treatment when it comes to the law. We live in a democracy where every voice counts and that is great!

"....for all."....she smiles when she whispers these words, for she knows that no matter what your name is or where you live....the new immigrant and the life long citizen are treated the same.

The flag passes by and the crowd settles back into their seats, waiting for the celebration to follow. The little girl follows them, still aglow from the thrill she felt when she say the flag proudly leading the parade to follow.

That girl who stood so proudly as the flag passed by could have been me or you, your sister, cousin, neighbor or even a total stranger. But there is one thing that is certain, there is a beauty about children and their allegiance to the flag, that time will never dim. For that child could have been anyone of us at any time in our life. For her the most important thing when she saw that flag was to show her pride in its colors and reflect upon the words she has spoken so often within her classroom walls....words she has taken to heart as only a child can.

Sometimes it seems as we grow older and the thrill of seeing the flag in a holiday parade is replaced with the task of readying a family for the holiday ahead, with meals to arrange, family get togethers to plan and traffic to contend with, we forget all to quickly what our flag stands for and the brave men and women who gave their lives so that that flag would stand for all that is good and right and that we might have the freedom to celebrate our lives in the manner in which we do.

Take time to thank a veteran when you see them, especially those who fought so bravely in WWII, for though they are abundant now, the men and women from are slowly disappearing from our world.

Take time to thank the men and women who are fighting today to keep our country safe, and take time to thank their families for making the ultimate sacrifice to make our world a better place by their devotion to country.

And take time to thank children for showing their love of country as this young girl did, for it is their future generation who will lead by example pride in country and it is displays such as this girls show of her love for her country that will teach future generations in time.

And finally give thanks for all you hold dear, for without love of country and patriotism you see so fully today, none of this would have been possible and for that I think most would agree, we all have time to take a moment out of our busy holiday and give thanks.