The Flag on the Porch

My wife noticed some weeks ago that there didn’t seem to be anyone living in our neighbor’s house. The only lights that came on appeared to be on a timer. There was no sign of anyone leaving for work in the morning, and no cars in the driveway. We wondered if everything was alright. Another neighbor told my wife that she had seen a moving van in our neighbor’s driveway. My wife finally spotted the neighbor outside the house, and went over to ask if they were okay. He said they had moved to a house they had bought about three years ago. They had been fixing it up, and finally moved in, and were going to sell the house next to us. We were never very close to the neighbors, but found it strange that they didn’t tell us they were selling the house. They had lived next door for over 30 years. But they left something behind. They left an American flag flying from the front porch.

I don’t know whether it was intentional. They used to fly the flag often, as many of our other neighbors do. We always put the flag out on the patriotic holidays, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Veterans Day, even Thanksgiving. You’re suppose to bring the flag in at night, unless you shine a light on it. Our neighbor’s flag is flying 24 hours a day, and there is no light. I admit we have forgotten at times, and left our flag out overnight without any light on it.  I don’t know if the neighbors want people to think there is someone living there. I’m guessing that’s why the lights are on a timer. But now I’ve imagined a different reason. Maybe they left it there to stand guard.

The flag is a patriotic symbol that stands for freedom, liberty, and pride of country. But it’s also become an emotional symbol of how we feel about our country. I think it has become even more of a touch stone since the 9/11 attacks. One of the enduring images in the aftermath of that awful day is the photograph of the New York City firefighters standing next to a flag they raised in the middle of the rubble. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan brought us thousands of caskets wrapped in the flag. We see football field sized flags stretched across our TV screens before games as we honor our veterans, and the people killed in the most recent mass shooting. People were even super imposing the French flag on their Facebook pages to show solidarity with the French after the Paris terrorist attacks. And sales of flags went way up in France. We’re not the only country with that emotional attachment.

The flag is being used to promote our political positions. Liberals and conservatives both use it to bolster their positions. It’s one thing they have in common. The American flag is recognized even in the darkest corners of the world. It even made it to the moon. The one time when everyone stands up, looks in the same direction, and even sings along is during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. It never gets old. Looking at the flag and listening to the music. There are, of course, people who see it as symbol of American oppression. It fans their hatred when they see it flying in the breeze.

I see it as a symbol of security and comfort. We know it will always be there, or rise again when it’s torn down. We can complain and argue about the country. As long as that flag is flying, we know we have the freedom to express ourselves. George Washington, a guy who knew something about the value of freedom and liberty, said this about the flag and how it symbolized our independence from England, “We take the star from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty.”

I’m sure our neighbors didn’t think about all this before they left the flag flying on the front porch, but maybe we all should the next time we fly the flag. And don’t forget the light at night.