As I sit and watch the memorial of 9/11, I am still struck by the awesomeness of God. 50,000 people worked in the World Trade Center towers, and that first strike marked plans that were underway to strike multiple blows at the heart of the United States. Had God’s hand not been on us that day, and had the fervent prayers of people around the globe not gone up, I can only imagine the devastation that would have prevailed.
I remember. I remember the tears, the need to be with my family and the gutting tearing desire to do something and knowing there was nothing I could do. I remember the love and compassion that poured forth from everyone, everywhere!
Each year I choose to turn on the news at the exact hour of the first attack. Staying in the heat of the moment helps me to continue to hold to the purpose that drives the fight. During the year, I let the words of the National Anthem and Pledge of Alliance spark memories of that one day and the many days of sacrifice that preceded it.
I will never understand the reasons that spark such hate. But I must not let that hate become the focus. The miracles, the hope and the unity have to be the things I see when the sun rises on days like today.
I will never forget – but I have to choose to live each day with a spirit that remembers and a heart that will reach for something better!
The “Star Spangled Banner” holds more than words that proclaim the anthem of this nation. The hope of a country can be found embedded in the verses of the song.
The radio theater broadcast from Adventures in Odyssey was playing on the radio as I drove. I got caught up in the story of the Revolutionary War and the Battle at Fort McHenry. The sounds and voices carried me back to that day and I felt the emotion of the dawn breaking and the light shining down on the Stars and Stripes. “Dawn’s Early Light” brought me to tears, and from that day forward the “Star Spangled Banner” did as well.
This morning I was reminded that the one verse most of us learn in school and sing at ball games does not even begin to touch on the story.
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause. it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Knowing the history of our songs, our government and our people will help us continue to live the life of freedom and unity held in this amazing song! May the words from so many years ago inspire you for today.
Mommy Patriots are just a few of the patriots that are taking a stand from all walks of life and from all corners of the country. These people are waking up to their responsibility for this land and for the future of the children.
Glenn Beck may have been one of the ones lighting the flame originally, but the ordinary people (maybe even the ones living next door to you right now) like the Sisterhood of the Mommy Patriots, are the patriots that are spreading the word that this country is ours and we have to take responsibility for its directions.
Any time spent watching the news might cause depression or at least the feeling of loneliness. It seems that no one thinks like I do. Many people have spent the last several years hiding their personal beliefs in an attempt to make life a little easier for them and for their family.
The time for a smooth ride is over. Mommy Patriots, Daddy Patriots and Children Patriots are coming together to give notice that they will be quiet no more.
The Sisterhood of the Mommy Patriots is just one of the outcomes from all that Glenn Beck has been talking back. These are mommies that have felt alone but are beginning to recognize that there are other Mommy Patriots out there. These Mommy Patriots are connecting through the internet and even local Tea Parties to discover that they are not alone and there is strength and power in numbers.
Mommy Patriot Sites
As A Mom is the main Patriot Mommy site and it also supports the 9-12 Project that was first ignited by Glenn Beck. It is “Network of principled mothers, grandmothers, daughters, & guardians of our nation’s children dedicated to the 9 Principles & 12 Values.”
Mommy Patriots and the other patriots that are fueling the Tea Party movements, the 9-12 Project and other ideas are concerned about the direction of the country. It will be interesting to see if the politicians hear their concern and act on it or wait for the full force of the Mommy Patriots to move from sea to shining sea.
Yesterday I received a phone call from a lady that wanted me to come get some of her plants. She calls me every time she divides her plants even though I don’t see her or hear from her any other time of the year. She does it because of the respect that she had for my Grandmother and Grandfather (who have been gone for two decades).
The character that the two of them had has carried over to the third generation. I am reaping the results of the character of my grandparents. It’s proof to me of the importance of character even in this day when your word, your integrity and your character seem to be the least important thing around.
Tips for Building Character
1. Be on time. It seems like a small thing but if I can’t trust you to just be where you say you’ll be when you say you’ll be there then how can I trust anything else that you say?
2. Say no. Stop hem-hawing around the issue and say no if you are unable to attend an event or if you have no intention of attending.
3. Finish what you start. Our children have to complete any activity that they start even if it turns out that they don’t love it. Everyone should have this mind set. Once you commit to doing something – teaching Sunday school, participating on a board or cleaning a park – you should do it consistently and with all that you have until the end of the term. If there are no terms then give a sufficient notice so that you can be replaced before you leave.
4. Follow the rules. You may not agree with all of the rules but if you will break one then how can I be sure that you won’t break another? Besides, it’s hard to tell the kids to follow the rules when you don’t follow them yourself (this DOES include the speed limit).
Character matters and it will not just follow you but will follow your children and grandchildren. Leave a legacy that they can carry proudly.