Flag Day – Happy Birthday Ed & Norb

On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress voted to make the red white and blue flag containing 13 stars, representing the existing 13 colonies, the official flag of our new country. It stood for unity. Together, these separate parts made a greater whole. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson designated this date as “Flag Day,” made official in 1917, and that designation was endorsed by Congress on August 3, 1949.

But given that it wasn’t the kind of Federal Holiday that mattered in my youth – the kind that gives you a day off from school or work – outside of school arts and crafts acknowledgements in my younger years, it never really moved the needle for me.

For the first 20 years of my life, the family focus on June 14th was that it was my Dad’s birthday. After that, Dad shared it with Lisa’s Dad, who coincidentally was also born on that date. Another weird connection between two middle children from opposite ends of New York State who first ended up together in 1977, two hundred years after our country’s first flag was established. A different kind of unity that has also endured a long time. Love you Lisa.

Now our fathers both passed towards the end of the last century, so in order to keep their memories alive I have indelibly attached them to the idea of Flag Day, because Old Glory endures. In my mind, that Star Spangled Banner represents our fathers, who, along with a whole lot of other fathers, sons, brothers, wives, mothers and daughters, served this great country in the military. Many blood sacrifices have been made by members of the armed services to protect the unified people of this country, this interconnected family of Americans, whom this flag represents. All of those people are part of my American family.

We are Americans. Our flag endures. We endure.

Now I have to tell you that I was raised to appreciate the idea that you must never desecrate our country’s flag. It’s hard wired into me. So, whenever I’ve witnessed protesters do so, it elicits a primal response. And that’s a good thing. That is how one should feel about the one symbol that unmistakably represents my homeland, which I believe remains the greatest country in the world, not out of some knee-jerk arrogance, but out of its long and proven history of recurring accomplishments that have made the entire world a better place. But as an American, I have to put my personal feelings aside because one of our freedoms is the right to protest.

Just don’t try to burn any flag that waves on my property.

As a country, mistakes have been made along the way. There are shadows laced throughout the brightest golden light. The point is that as we evolve as humans, as a nation, we attempt to correct past errors as we move forward.

But my grandchildren should not have to atone for my sins, nor I for those of my ancestors, or worse, someone else’s ancestors. No blood libel because of race, religion or culture. It should be enough that we acknowledge past faults, and learn from our history to not repeat them.

My Irish ancestors’ history provides lots of British scabs to pick. But I choose to let those wounds heal. I don’t blame a modern day citizen of the UK for what their ancestors may have done to my ancestors as recently as 100 years ago. I like everything about the British people, especially their humor. It’s brilliant. Forgive, let it go, and move forward amicably. Life is just too fucking short to dwell on the past, especially as our world gets smaller every day.

So, today let us remember the many bounties that we have received because of our common history that has given us the Star Spangled Banner that unifies us as a people, as a nation, as a family.

Happy Birthday Old Glory. Long may you wave.

And happy birthday Dad, and Norb, and all the other great Americans that share this birthdate.

Thank God it’s Friday.

You fine, five readers, put on your best skyving shoes and get out there and dance your way off the work week floor. The weekend awaits.

And whatever else we choose to do, given the freedom we all share in, let us not forget to make today a great one.