Our Heritage

"Look at all the flags!" I exclaimed to my husband as we passed through a small town yesterday on the way to a doctor's appointment. The main street was lined on both sides with the stars and stripes of our country, turned into fiery red banners by the morning sun behind them. Then I remembered it was 9/11, a day of both remembrance and honor for the victims and heroes of the attack. It was a patriotic day, and the sight of Old Glory waving faithfully in the breeze loosed a wellspring of pride and thankfulness within me.

I saw another symbol of thankfulness walking across the highway as we were going to church last evening. A soldier bearing a flag? No, it was a wild turkey crossing the road! The cooler weather brings thoughts of Thanksgiving, when golden-brown versions of their domestic counterparts will grace many a holiday table. The last time I saw turkeys in the wild was in Tennessee a few years ago, where cars had to stop while whole flocks ambled across country roads, safe in their protected status.

Last night was Family Night at church, and my heart was warmed by the swarm of children in attendance. They enthusiastically participated in the games played by some of the adults as well: Sliding an Oreo cookie from forehead to mouth; catching as many balls as possible tossed by a partner into a container held high; picking certain catch words in a story told by the pastor and repeating them in unison; and passing out mystery stickers relating to the story-sermon.

One of the games, a brain teaser, was for the adults. A chart on the wall screen displayed the puzzle squares, with words like "man overboard" hinted at by "man" written over a line and "board" underneath. There were 20 squares, and I got most of them right. The one that gave me most trouble had the words, "Knee," and "Lights," with "Knee" on top. I thought and thought, only coming up with knee-high and low lights, but the right answer was "knee on lights," or "Neon Lights." Pretty clever.

Faith, Family and Patriotism were the components that made up our day, and they make up what is important in our country. The children are our future; it is up to us to teach them our values!