The flag is having a rough time of it these days. It’s chic to be anti-flag among certain groups, who treat it with a disdain that even opinions about organized religion do not often match.

There are reasons these people have, reasons I understand but disagree with. Flags have meant many things over the years, and even this flag has been flown in less than noble circumstances. But, it is not about those moments that causes one to honor this flag. It is about the other moments. It is about the time a great grandfather came over to find freedom, freedom to feed his family and worship according to his beliefs. It is about the pursuit of life that brought my family west, not to oppress, but to live and eat and work without the heavy hand of some society grandee demanding souls be traded for yet more profit.

This flag represents the drive towards fullness of life, not always perfectly pursued, but consistently pursued, even up to now, when Americans are willing to die so that others may find the freedoms we enjoy.

For those who find their political positions founded on a fair measure of self-loathing this flag cannot mean too much. For those whose family has bled and toiled and wandered over the thousands of miles to forge new lives and find new hopes out of tragedy, this flag represents how we understand ourselves. We are not perfect, we are not even always noble, but at the end of the day we stand for something right and good, and teach our children to do the same.

This flag represents to millions upon millions of people the quality of freedom that was forged in the 18th century and developed over the centuries as we learn ever better what freedom demands. This flag represents hope and dreams, both fulfilled and yet growing.

I do not honor this flag because of some blind territorial obligation. I honor this flag for what it has represented to my family over the centuries, what it has allowed and what it still allows. I honor it not for what it is but for what it represents, and it represents my blood and the blood of my forebears who have delved deeply into the gifts this flag has brought. This is not a flag that represents politics or even geography. This is a flag filled with the stories of millions, whose stories weave through this flag, and give it meaning and honor.

Happy Flag Day.

Oh!: Gennie over at dizzy-girl.net has posted good Flag thoughts and linked to the good flag thoughts of others.