These patriotic murals inside the Point Pleasant, West Virginia flood wall are even more stunning in real life than pictured here.
Notice the ghostly humans here.
And the striking colors on this one!
They were completed in 2020 by someone named B. Rollins and are simply beautiful. They are right outside the American Legion and impossible to miss if you visit downtown Point Pleasant.
Stop and admire them if you’re ever in town.
All of us who were living on September 11, 2001 probably remember where we were when we heard the news. It’s hard to believe that there is an entire generation of young people who don’t know a pre-9/11 world.
They also are living in a world where divisive politics define the tone of all things. They haven’t experienced a time when Americans were united under one flag without regard to politics. Remember how people came together? While first responders rushed to help, the rest of us gave blood, gathered supplies, prayed and did what we could to help in our own way.
Now it’s an official day of service. This brings me hope as our nation badly needs to embrace unity and service to others.
I’ll be spending my day volunteering in my community and I am grateful for the opportunity to do some good.
The pictures are from the memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. – hallowed ground where a plane full of strangers worked together to make the impossible decision to crash in a field rather than allow terrorists to reach their destination.
May none of us ever have to face such a choice.
My job is not something I write about here. I assume you all know that I’m gainfully employed but you may not know that I work in marketing for a community bank. This makes me sort of a Jack (or Jill) of all trades.
My work isn’t normally relevant but I thought you would like to see what we do for Independence Day at the bank in our hometown.
It looks nice in pictures but is even more impressive in person.
Here’s a behind the scenes look from behind the flag.
We began hanging this flag for a few days around the 4th several years ago and it is one of my proudest moments every time it goes up. I hope the community enjoys it as much as I do and that it makes your heart swell with patriotic pride as well.
Happy Independence Day!
This vintage postcards speaks for itself. We are better together. Happy Independence Day!
Photo Courtesy Smithsonian Magazine
I have a lot on my mind today. None of it am I prepared to organize and share.
Instead, I encourage you all to be kind to one another, to set aside your differences, to embrace what is right, and to move forward as part of the solution.
Enough is enough. Our country badly needs to heal as one nation.
Words matter. So I leave you with these 31 words.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
And to the Republic for which it stands
One nation, under God
Indivisible with Liberty and justice for all.
This is from last Saturday’s adventure through Ross and Highland counties. The flag is fabulous but so is the tree’s shadow.
This week has been a bumpy one, stressful even, as our country has lived under a shadow of uncertainty. Our modern world has made us more impatient than ever and has shortened our memory too. Many years we haven’t known the outcome on election night. Although I’m not sure how long it has been since we were left hanging in the balance for this many days.
I’m guessing the Pony Express was involved.
I have a lot of thoughts on this topic – not on the subject of politics so much as observances on human behavior.
My own Facebook feed is full of people who do not understand that election laws differ by state or that counting every legal vote is, indeed, the patriotic thing to do. The Electoral College also seems a mystery to some and the conspiracy theories are running rampant.
It’s an indictment of the average American’s grasp of their own government.
I’m hopeful for many things this morning.
I’m hopeful that we’ll have an answer today and that we can begin to move forward and prepare for the next four years. I’m hopeful that we can begin to heal from the trauma of late.
And honestly, I’m hopeful that a few of those swing states that have held us up will learn a thing or two from their neighbors and be better prepared in four years.
Meanwhile, we are expecting a beautiful seventy degree fall day here in Ohio. Despite the problems our nation faces, the sun will rise and set again today. The days aren’t as long as we would like so let’s make the best of the sunshine we have available.
Take a deep breath, relax those shoulders, turn off the news and go find something else to do. This could be one of the last beautiful fair weather days of the season and you don’t want to waste it.
Make the Journey Fun 