The Spirit of Patriotism

I’ve decided to add one more “spirit” to our homes as I close the series on The Spirit of Loveliness.

The Spirit of Patriotism.

 

Labor Day

On this Labor Day of 2018, I am reminded why we fly the flag on Labor Day and wanted to share a few facts that I didn’t remember until I research it for this post.

• According to the Department of Labor, the first celebration of Labor Day was on “Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.”
• In 1884, the first Monday of September was selected as the official “working man’s holiday”. Many other cities across America began to recognize it as well.
• The original plans for the celebration included a parade to “exhibit to the public the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations. It was followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families.”
• By 1894 Congress passed an act making it a national holiday, and as a national holiday, the flag was displayed.

The Spirit of Patriotism

Speaking of the flag, when was the last time you said the Pledge of Allegiance?  The last time for me was at a luncheon held in honor of a group of retirees from a local utility company. All attendees stood, we placed our hands over our hearts and recited our commitment to the flag of these United States of America.

Until then, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d said it.  I wondered if I was saying it right.  It was like singing the national anthem and forgetting where you are in the song.

As a student, I remember saying the pledge all the way through high school, but never in college.  At football games we sang the national anthem (some even sang the right words). We stood while the flag was raised or lowered. Why and when did it stop being a regular occurrence at large gatherings of Americans to recite the pledge? Those who feel no allegiance can stand quietly with their hands by their side.

I miss reciting the pledge, but I work from home.  I guess I could add that to my quiet time.  The Bible, my journal, the flag, me and the animals.  We’ll figure it out.

 

I 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. [For some reason, I’ve always wanted to say “Amen” at the end of the pledge!]

For more thoughts on patriotism, check out The American Conservative.