Barbados

It  is flag day. J.D. showed up at lunch today wearing a shirt that looked like it could have been made from a flag. Now, I am not pro  US flag clothes nor am I really against it. I mean I had a bikini that looked like it was made from a Texas flag. But it was Alaska and they   are very anti Texas, so, maybe part of my purchase decision was based on antagonism or impulsive ornery fun. The later I think. He looked  good and festive and everyone loved it. Did I find it a little disrespectful?...Maybe.... Did I feel it was supportive?....yes. How many people  remembered it was flag day? How many noticed? Who saw it on their calendar and just passed it up? Someone asked me today what  I would say about the 4th of July. What I would do. What my take on it is. I had to think on this for several hours. It is not one of those Holidays  I "celebrate". I do not spend it with family or at a park or backyard BBQ. I did not see what any of that had to do with sacrifice, fear, conflict, rebellion. What was the point of a char-grilled piece of flesh? I had kin folk who were here in the newly formed United States.   They were in the fray. George Washington knew them by name. They were brothers, one on the side of the freedom fighters the  other stuck it out with England. Can you even imagine the conflict within the family this caused? It is something that gets mentioned  in relation to the Civil War a lot. The shock to George. A man he trusted chose the opposition. How much trust did George then  have for his brother who stayed to fight for freedom. Family was torn apart. A woman and her children were left  by   husband and father. I still see no reason to gather in front of burning rack of flesh and talk basketball or NASCAR. Do you people have any  idea, while you are swapping Hooter girl or little Casey did this stories what happened to the wife and daughters of the men who  remained loyal to England? Let me enlighten you.... The troops marched straight to his plantation where they burned the home, the barn, the mill, and storage buildings. They beat and abused his wife and two small daughters. This woman and her children were then forced  to walk in the heat of the summer with no food 125 miles to a prison. There they were abused for three more days. Then they were  taken to a remote town under guard and left to fend for themselves. People we were not just fighting the British we fighting our own  neighbors and family and peoples who were native to America. So maybe while you are exercising your "right" to grill you may want to just  take a moment and reflect on the events that lead to your "rights". Look into your heritage. Research your family's role  in establishing this great country. You know Benedict Arnold was not the only person exiled from this country during the war. Thank  GOD my ancestors had the Pirating foresight to establish themselves huge plantations on Barbados years before. Did you know that England  turned her back on the men who had fought with her. Families who once had land and homes were removed from them. They were  refugees. Other ancestors of mine were rewarded by George Washington and fought bravely for the right to freedom. I will be thinking  about ancestors and fighting for beliefs and sacrifice and gratitude. Then again maybe I will be in Barbados lounging on the beach thinking  about my great (5 generations back)  uncle Richard. Ireland.... here is a grin and a wave to you for granting sanctuary. Loves you!!