Flag Day was Tuesday and Father’s Day is this Sunday. Two different days, but both have a link in that we are to respect them both. Memories linger as to the first time I ever stood at attention in my school and said the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. We were taught to stand still and look at the flag placing our right hand over our heart as we said the words we had been taught; "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Every day, one student was picked from our class to stand in front of the room and lead the class in pledging to the flag. As the years passed we were taught not only to pledge to the flag, but that the flag should never touch the ground, or be mistreated in any way. Our teachers took the time to tell the class what a blessed country we are and how we should always stand, remaining silent until the leader would begin stating the pledge to the flag and then the remaining members of the class would join in. We were also taught not to yell, but to use our inside voices rather than our playground voices as we joined with others in saying the pledge.
All of these instructions are stuck in my memory to this day. As an adult, I have seen many of these flags draped across the coffins of men and women who have served our country in the military. I have stood at the head of many of these coffins when the military honor guard carefully folded the flag and then present it to family members of the deceased military person. Above all else, we were taught to respect the flag and our nation that it represents. I have in my memory the first time I saw anti war protestors during the Viet Nam war burn a flag. I remember so well the sick feeling that came over me when I saw our country’s flag being treated with disrespect and the horror of watching the excitement on the faces of those who were making their anti war protest by burning the flag of our country. Those memories still stand out as some of the most horrible of my life. As we have lost respect for our flag something about our country died.
As Father’s day will be Sunday, I also have memories of my father and the respect I have for him. Notice I did not say, “Had for him.” Even though my father has been dead for more than thirty years, I still respect him. So when talking about respect for my father, I speak in the present tense. Daddy was a man who lived an honest hard working life. Simple, would describe my Dad’s life by some standards today, but he was a man of integrity who lived by certain moral standards that he passed on to his children. Over these many years I have counseled with people who are not blessed to have good memories about their father. Often I have heard people talk of their lack of respect for their father. Fatherhood is not an easy assignment. Men are not perfect; in fact, no one is perfect. All of us make mistakes. In recent years as we have become more aware of the failings of people around us in the eye of the public, there has been the chipping away at the respect we are to have for our elders and parents. There is a time in our history when family carried a special place in our memories. With the public lifestyles of the rich and famous being evermore paraded before us, we have been able to see the failings of people on display. As this parade of wrong headed behavior has been placed before us all, we have lost respect for fathers, mothers, and children. The family unit has been under assault because of a small percentage of folks who have made incorrect moral choices. It is hard to understand how far away from respect we have fallen today as it relates to our country’s flag and to fatherhood. We must find a way to restore respect for our country's flag and for our families.
All of these instructions are stuck in my memory to this day. As an adult, I have seen many of these flags draped across the coffins of men and women who have served our country in the military. I have stood at the head of many of these coffins when the military honor guard carefully folded the flag and then present it to family members of the deceased military person. Above all else, we were taught to respect the flag and our nation that it represents. I have in my memory the first time I saw anti war protestors during the Viet Nam war burn a flag. I remember so well the sick feeling that came over me when I saw our country’s flag being treated with disrespect and the horror of watching the excitement on the faces of those who were making their anti war protest by burning the flag of our country. Those memories still stand out as some of the most horrible of my life. As we have lost respect for our flag something about our country died.
As Father’s day will be Sunday, I also have memories of my father and the respect I have for him. Notice I did not say, “Had for him.” Even though my father has been dead for more than thirty years, I still respect him. So when talking about respect for my father, I speak in the present tense. Daddy was a man who lived an honest hard working life. Simple, would describe my Dad’s life by some standards today, but he was a man of integrity who lived by certain moral standards that he passed on to his children. Over these many years I have counseled with people who are not blessed to have good memories about their father. Often I have heard people talk of their lack of respect for their father. Fatherhood is not an easy assignment. Men are not perfect; in fact, no one is perfect. All of us make mistakes. In recent years as we have become more aware of the failings of people around us in the eye of the public, there has been the chipping away at the respect we are to have for our elders and parents. There is a time in our history when family carried a special place in our memories. With the public lifestyles of the rich and famous being evermore paraded before us, we have been able to see the failings of people on display. As this parade of wrong headed behavior has been placed before us all, we have lost respect for fathers, mothers, and children. The family unit has been under assault because of a small percentage of folks who have made incorrect moral choices. It is hard to understand how far away from respect we have fallen today as it relates to our country’s flag and to fatherhood. We must find a way to restore respect for our country's flag and for our families.
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