Sunday morning at church there was a flag folding ceremony presented by some of the teens who are a part of the ROTC program at the high school.  It was really interesting to me to hear Miki read the meaning of each fold of the American flag.

1. The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
2. The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
3. The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.
4. The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.
5. The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.”
6. The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
7. The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
8. The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.
9. The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
10. The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.
11. The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
12. The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God we Trust.”

Today I  remember those who fought so that we can live in a free country.  So thankful for the sacrifice.

Tonight is our Thanksgiving FLO service… passing out the turkeys etc.  It should be a great night. I am going to make my dessert for the event and fortunately there is plenty of stew left for Matt to have for dinner.  I made a huge pot (marmar’s old pot) full of soup and it was so good!  A little spicy, but really good.  It was perfect for such a cool rainy day.

Emelia is well now.  When the doctor asked her if she was able to swallow pills she proudly nodded “yes.”  I don’t think she understood that meant her prescription would be for huge anitibiotic pills.  She has had a terrible time getting them swallowed twice a day.  She insists on breaking them in half which I would think would make it harder, but she has a mind of her own so as long as she takes them I’m okay with it.  She is on day 6 today and is really ready to be finished.  It’s interesting how all kids are different.  She is so different.  I haven’t reminded her one time to take her medicine.  I actually forgot before school yesterday and when I saw her taking one at dinner time I asked if she had forgotten before school.  She had not.  I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Izzy has had her AFO’s on for almost three hours.  That’s a record so far! I measured her feet Sunday evening.  We are hoping for 2-3 degrees improvement per week.  I am not sure I measured correctly (we’re going back to the orthotist Monday so he’ll verify) but I saw an improvement even with the limited amount of time she has tolerated wearing them.  I am so excited to get the Kid Walk so she can stand more comfortably.

Have a great Tuesday!  I’m planning to bake a cake, get Izzy to school, do mom’s hair, help her arrange her furniture, and then get ready for tonight.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 6:09 am and is filed under just thinking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.