Patriotism.

Yesterday I went for a hike up Rock Canyon, and it was amazing. As I walked up the hill I listend to music, but once I reached the mouth of the canyon I turned all of that off, put on my hat and gloves, and set out into the snow alone with my thoughts. The quiet in the canyon was perfect. As I moved there was nothing but my own footsteps to distract me, and when I stopped the whole world stood still. There was a section of the canyon, a little further up where the sunlight touches it in the afternoon, that crackled and dripped with melting snow. But even then the sound was so solitary and pristine that echoed only in my soul. 

Despite the peace I felt and the veritable cornucopia of blessings I received up in the canyon, what struck me most was the scene I walked up to on my way home. As I approached the little section of street you see in the photo above I saw that there was something lying in the road. As I got closer I saw two young men stop; one letting his bicycle fall on the side of the road, the other stopping his car and blocking traffic in order to pick up what had apparently fallen from a car that passed earlier. 

These college students deliberately stopped to pick up these two American flags from the road. They didn't just clear the road, they weren't just thinking of their fellow travelers, they took the time to take those flags and stand them up. They thrust those flagpoles into the ground so that the symbol of their nation wouldn't be left in a heap, but would stand proudly in the crisp winter wind. 

I can't claim to know where those young men were headed, I don't know what they set aside to care for their nation, but I know that they did. I know that they had enough respect for their country to set everything aside for a brief moment and show their respect and support for the place that has been prepared for them and the country that has given them so much. This is what patriotism is to me.

I can't help but think of those that have given their lives for our nation; both those that have died in conflict and those who have lived in service. I can't help but think of my own father who brought his own unique talents and valuable gifts to his nation and served for nearly thirty years. And even now, after he's retired he still supports the home front. He still cares for his family, pays his taxes, supports his community, votes in every election, he still supports the land that has given him so much. 

I then think of myself, what can I do to serve? What will I do? What have I done? Patriotism isn't blindly supporting an institution that you have no control over. It is diligently seeking information and understanding of what the government is and what it can be. It is actively participating in and striving to improve the system that has prevailed in this land for so long. It is stepping up in the home and community to be an example and a bastion of citizenship and kindness. It is setting aside your plans and acting when a president is to be elected, a jury summons comes, a neighbor needs a hand, or when a flag falls in the road.