We all like symbols, those concrete objects representing abstract ideas.
Perhaps our country’s newest symbol will be the “Survivor Tree” at Ground Zero. This Callery pear tree, originally planted at the World Trade Center complex more than 30 years ago, was found in the wreckage of the Twin Towers in New York City after 9/11.
In 2001, the remaining twisted and charred eight feet of trunk plus roots, barely alive, was taken to the city’s parks department’s nursery where it was coaxed back to health. It was replanted at the 9/11 Memorial Site in December of last year and now stands 35 feet tall. It truly represents the ideal that this country and its people are tough, resilient, strong enough to weather disasters of all kinds.
Where were you on 9/11 of last year? While all of us can explain in exact detail where we were on 9/11 in 2001 when the towers were hit by terrorists killing some 3,000 Americans, most probably can’t recall specifically what they were doing on this same memorable date in 2010. I can.
Driving through New England, we were listening to the memorial tributes on the radio and being overwhelmed by the great number of American flags flying at half mast. We felt immersed in the symbolism of the momentous date marked by Old Glory fixed at half-staff. I could not help but remember Francis Scott Key’s line in the National Anthem. “Oh say, does that star spangled banner yet wave/ O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” It does, from coast to coast.
However, it wasn’t just the red, white and blue flying midway on poles on this date that aroused such a sense of patriotism for me. Small towns through out New England have attached American flags to every lamp post in the downtown areas. Every day, the Stars and Stripes flutter from these stationary posts, a testimony to the 13 original colonies, and the founding of this country. Likewise, churchyard after churchyard in the Northeast are adorned with small American flags laid out like cemeteries representing those servicemen and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We truly felt immersed in American history and patriotism.
This year, we were reminded of those many New England small towns and their American flags when we drove through Big Pine, California, on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas. It , too, displays an American flag on every lamp post in town. It was the only western town, that we drove through, with such a noticeable display. However, Big Pine’s show of colors speaks as loudly as the repetition of red, white and blue throughout the Northeast.
Likewise, we also took notice of the giant American flag flying center stage from the top of the I-20 bridge when we crossed the Mississippi River from Vicksburg, MS into Louisiana. The recent news about the massive floods destroying homes and rich farm land in this area reminded us of this particular crossing. And once again, we are witnessing the resilience of our countrymen in the middle of the country as they wait for waters to recede so that they can rebuild. The same is true for those citizens devastated by the recent rash of tornados.
On Tuesday, July 4, we will celebrate Independence Day with traditional flag waving, parades and fireworks. The Lions Club will once again erect American flags throughout town to remind us of this important date. But in the hustle, bustle of a holiday full of backyard barbecues and beach outings, it is so easy to overlook the obvious. Do we even notice the flags lining the street? Do we recall important historical dates of our country - 1776, 1865, 1945, 2001? There are so many more. Do we remember? Do we give thanks? Despite the tragedies, the wars, the terrorists, the poor economy, we still have much for which to be grateful.
Come Tuesday, let us thank members of the Lions Club for their faithful duty in displaying the American flags. Also, let us pause long enough in front of one not only to feel a stir of patriotism, but also to acknowledge those abstract qualities, symbolized by Old Glory, that we Americans hold dear. They are many. We have multiple reasons to celebrate this day.
Happy Fourth of July!
2011
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