I remember the Memorial Day weekend after my mom had passed away. My father had decided we would do a spring cleaning and paint our bedrooms new colors. In my room I had found a small, old flag. A remnant from a Memorial Day parade we had attended years earlier.
The flag, the small type you hold and wave, had faded from years of display in my room. I remembered attending the parade. There was a crowd, music and cheers. Each of my three sisters and I had our chance to sit on my father's shoulders for a better view. As I looked upon that old flag, at the age of twelve, all I saw was a fading memory easily discarded for a new room make over.
I took my pile of discards downstairs and outside to the garbage can. My father was outside in his work clothes in the back yard. He saw the flag in my pile and nearly hit the roof! That was when I learned the true meaning of Memorial Day and the American flag.
My father explained how Memorial Day was a day to remember our fallen soldiers, a day to honor their bravery and feel their families loss. He explained the flag was never to be thrown in the garbage but held in revere, how it stands for the freedom our soldiers make possible for us. It wasn't just the words my father spoke but the emotion with which he spoke. For the first time, I truly understood. After we finished cleaning and painting, I hung my flag in my room once again where it belonged.
Many Memorial Days have come and gone. No matter where I am or what I am doing, I remember the true meaning of Memorial Day and I hang an American flag. A little American flag has been posted outside my tent on camping trips and from apartment and condo deck railings. A large American flag blows in the breeze in front of my home in the Poconos.
Thank God for our soldiers past and present! Thank God for our freedom! Stop your barbecue, beach fun or camping trip for just a moment on Memorial Day and remember its true meaning.
The flag, the small type you hold and wave, had faded from years of display in my room. I remembered attending the parade. There was a crowd, music and cheers. Each of my three sisters and I had our chance to sit on my father's shoulders for a better view. As I looked upon that old flag, at the age of twelve, all I saw was a fading memory easily discarded for a new room make over.
I took my pile of discards downstairs and outside to the garbage can. My father was outside in his work clothes in the back yard. He saw the flag in my pile and nearly hit the roof! That was when I learned the true meaning of Memorial Day and the American flag.
My father explained how Memorial Day was a day to remember our fallen soldiers, a day to honor their bravery and feel their families loss. He explained the flag was never to be thrown in the garbage but held in revere, how it stands for the freedom our soldiers make possible for us. It wasn't just the words my father spoke but the emotion with which he spoke. For the first time, I truly understood. After we finished cleaning and painting, I hung my flag in my room once again where it belonged.
Many Memorial Days have come and gone. No matter where I am or what I am doing, I remember the true meaning of Memorial Day and I hang an American flag. A little American flag has been posted outside my tent on camping trips and from apartment and condo deck railings. A large American flag blows in the breeze in front of my home in the Poconos.
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| Personalized Soldier's Photo Memorial Garden Flag |
Thank God for our soldiers past and present! Thank God for our freedom! Stop your barbecue, beach fun or camping trip for just a moment on Memorial Day and remember its true meaning.
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