blessmyendeavors

Like many, I sat in my living room and listened to all that was said in the run for presidant, and I can’t say I wasn’t ready for some changes. Sometimes, change is good; sometimes changes aren’t all we desired them to be; sometimes…change sucks. I’m getting older now; I’m prone to looking back at the way things were when I was young, and , in the way of the aging … I get wistful. Now , I realize not all things that annoyed me as a child were bad. I realize not all things that ticked me off as a young adult were bad.

Now, I look back and realize things have changed a lot, and not all the changes were needed, nor good; welcome as they might have been when they occured. I like that as a woman my world opened up. I like that as a single mother I didn’t have to run to get married, or make up lies to cover my indescretion, or raise my son under a cloud of shame, nor give him up to be raised by another just to preserve my family’s honor. Those were good changes in our way of life. I kept my child and raised him the best way I knew how, and I was rewarded a few times over the years with his wails and gripes.

” Mom, I’m not sure you did this right…you raised me to have manners and morals. Do you have any idea how difficult that makes life some days ?!? ”

That one made me laugh. Yes, son, I do know how hard that can make life. We aren’t perfect; none of us, all we can do is try to be as good as we can be.

I raised him to have respect for others; for their ways; their lives; their traditions; their ethnicity. Yes, it makes life harder in some ways, but in others it makes life much more rewarding. Mr Obama touts responsibility. I agree; I think all of us have a responsibility to so many people in our lives, and to ourselves. But along with responsibility , Mr. Obama, I’d like to see a return to respect as well. Respect along with responsiblity.

Some days I feel like there is so much wrong with our country that I couldn’t even find a place to begin if someone would ask me where shall we begin in an effort to fix things. I think it begins with the children; I think the children need to be concentrating on learning respect once again, along with responsibility. I would like to begin with the American Flag. How many of you readers know how the proper ways are in handling the symbol of our country? How many know how to display it? How many know how to take it down and fold it ?
I would say, lets begin there. Let’s begin with learning to show our flag the respect its due. Let’s go back to school and make hanging up the flag in the morning a ritual to be proud of, and removing it each night an honor for the students. I’d advocate not just the students who excel in school as earning the right; I think its important for each child to take a turn. I remember students in my small home town school taking turns getting the flag from a stand in the corner of the classroom and holding it before the class as we stood, hand over our hearts, and recited the Pledge of Alliegiance. Sometimes we would sing ” America the Beautiful,” just to stir our blood, wake us up. No one complained about it; we all did it because it was our way of showing respect to our country. I really wonder how many now even know the words. For those who don’t, here you go. For those who do…let’s sing !

http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/americathebeautiful.html