Today I was asked to put the two American Flags on the Passion Play grounds at half staff in memory of those killed in the tragic shooting in Las Vegas last night. With all the controversy swirling around the National Anthem and honoring our Flag at sporting events and the heated debate over the Confederate Flag and its display on public property, the request to lower the Flag was not one I questioned or thought twice about.
In my mind the National Anthem is to be respected and honored. The American Flag is to be respected and honored. The Confederate Flag is part of our national history and while the Civil War was a tragic chapter in that history, it cannot be erased or ignored and out of respect for those who fought and died for what they believed, we should respect and honor them and their Flag, as well.
I was called to serve during the Vietnam War. I may have been naive, or not very aware of all the "political" correctness of that period in history, but I respected what my country called me to do. My life was altered, my education interrupted, a marriage was fractured, and I returned to hostile attitudes and abusive treatment. I also came back to a country which had changed and my future was to be very different than I had planned it to be. But life goes on. We seek a place where we can contribute, enjoy the bounty of our country and blessings which come our way.
And then, we are asked to lower the Flag, to a position of respect and honor for those who have died, but also a position which shows that there is something which has made life less than "full" staff. I'm sad for the senseless acts which interfere with the fullness of life as it was meant to be. I pray that somehow the news will not have to be reported from the scene of such senseless acts and that we can bridle our anger, respect others even if we disagree with them, and live the life we have been given in the fullness of God's grace, mercy and love.
Sent from my iPad
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