Brianna Walker

“Mom, that’s a problem,” my oldest said as we began pulling the equipment out of the shed.

He was pointing to the tattered and sun-bleached flags on the tractors. He reveres that flag so much. I watched him climb up the ladder and gently take down the worn Stars and Stripes from each tractor and piece of machinery. We folded what was left of them and set them aside to have a proper disposal ceremony when time allowed.

Later that evening, both boys were excited to put up new flags. Standing back watching, my heart swelled as I watched their faces so proud of their work. I must admit, watching Old Glory wave over green tractors working a field is a sight that fills my spirit with a little bit of old-fashioned Americana.

It wasn’t that many years ago it seemed every house had a flag in front, the schools all began with the pledge of allegiance, and everyone removed their hats during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Now to fly the flag of our country is seen as political instead of patriotic. When did loving one’s country become selfish?

When a flight attendant gives the steps of what to do in an emergency, you are instructed to put on your oxygen mask before you assist others. Counselors instruct couples to focus on their marriage before their children. Loving your country first does not mean hate for others.

I believe the flag is so much more than ink and cloth. It’s a living symbol of freedom and it unites all Americans, from every walk of life, who gather under it and salute. It is our history. It is our future. It isn’t perfect — it never claimed to be. But what it is, is ours. Our republic, formed of great men and women who make up “we the people.” Our country was formed from the ground up, meaning local action equals national results.

My family loves traveling. We love visiting new countries, making new friends in new places — but when it comes to the United States, I feel a little bit like Scarlett O’Hara at the end of “Gone with the Wind.” There is something I love more than traveling — it’s my own Tara, my own little chunk of the United States.

Saluting the flag doesn’t have to mean your support for the politicians or the government. Instead it is an outward show of respect for all the men and women who lived, served and died under it — for us. As Mark Twain once said, loyalty to country always, loyalty to government when it deserves it.

This winter has been tough and has brought up many deep conversations about what we want out of life, what we want for our kids, and what we want for our country. Harry Truman once said that America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.

How does one go about instilling courage, imagination and determination into their kids? I don’t know — but I know it starts with my husband and I. We have to secure our oxygen masks first. When people yell “xenophobia” because we proudly display our country’s flag, we don’t take it down in embarrassment. We just square our shoulders and remember the brave people that have fought and sacrificed for the opportunity of living the American dream.

I never thought we’d need to have courage to fly the American flag. I never thought we’d need courage to carry our Bible to church. I never thought we’d need courage to say the girls’ bathroom is on the left and the boys’ is on the right. But here we are, and it’s time to stand for our faith; stand for our family; stand for our freedom — for if we don’t stand up now, our children will inherit a world where they can’t stand up.

I want my kids to learn how to take the proverbial bricks others are throwing and use them to build a solid foundation of their character. I want my kids to take their hats off for the flag, never set items on a Bible, and give up their seats on a bus for an elder. I want them to be proud of their country and productive in their community. A community that is made up of young and old, black and white, bald and purple-haired — united together under that striped flag that makes us all Americans. I am securing my oxygen mask, raising up our flag and asking that God bless America, my home sweet home!