It is Memorial Day.  I took a walk this morning to breathe in the fresh Georgia air and get my l bit of exercise before the heat would take that outdoor option away.

I waved goodbye to my ducks that were busy eating their breakfast of cracked corn.  The chipmunks were already scampering and digging.  Life was as it should be as I walked through the sweet jasmine covered arch to the street.

I really needed to pull the weeds on the little piece of land we own, but decided they would still be there tomorrow.  Besides, I would have disturbed the ducks breakfast!  Good excuse.

The beginning of summer in the south is a joy to behold.  The trees are full and spreading their shade over lush grass.  The landscape is a myriad of all the shades of green Crayola ever produced.  The yards are dotted with flowers of purple, orange, red, pink, and yellow.

On the corner, is a magnificent Magnolia tree in full bloom.  This year her blossoms are huge and angelic white against her dark jade leaves.

I turn the corner to the main street where golfers are playing on the course near my house.  In honor of Memorial Day, the flags on the putting greens have been replaced with the American Flag.  The red, white, and blue against the green is striking and I think, “What a privilege is it to be able to have a day off and play?”

I approached the top of the hill where I gazed across the rolling fields to where the Chattahoochee River bends and flows gently around our neighborhoods.  The pale blue sky is teeming with marshmallow clouds that give peace to the day.

“How fortunate am I to live amid such peaceful beauty?”, I thought as I continued my walk.  Today my air is not filled with smoke from weaponry or exploding bombs.  My earth is not scorched from fire.  I am walking freely on the street and not hiding in fear from an enemy.

I smell the aroma of barbecue off in the distance as two birds fly above my head in a chase.

I start to feel a pang of hunger and wonder what I am going to have for lunch.   I have some choices; not many but a few things are in the old fridge.  Again, I reflect, “How grateful am I that I will not go hungry today?”

I turn to go home along the same path.  I pass the same scenery, but then it really isn’t the same.  There are more squirrels climbing trees, more people walking, and more flowers I didn’t notice before.  “God made so much that one cannot possibly see it all! How blessed am I to live where I can freely thank God for these blessings?”

There are children playfully yelling at the neighborhood pool and I remember that today is the first day of their summer vacation.  The study and early hours are over for a while.  I ponder, “How amazing is it that we offer every child in America an education?”

I walk down my short street and what I did not notice before is that every house has an American Flag flying in the front yard.

They wave in harmony as I pass.  I see my little piece of land in the distance and I realize, “How wonderful is it to be able to own a home with a backyard; weeds, ducks, chipmunks and all?”

After today most folks will store their flags away until July 4th.   

Perhaps we should keep the flag flying in our front yards every day.

Perhaps it will remind us that the privileges we enjoy have been given to us by the men and women who paid the ultimate price.

Perhaps we should keep the flag flying …… Wait a minute! Why don’t we keep our flags flying all summer to remind us daily to be grateful for the abundance, freedom, peace, and beauty of this blessed land we call…  America.