The fourth seed planted early in my life was learning the value of Freedom.  I must stress again, how blessed I am to have been in a family that loved their country and the values that it allowed us to develop.  The values that we would be willing to die for.

The American flag was as sacred to our home as the Bible was, each symbolizing a call to freedom and a set of standards required to adherence to serve.

My Dad did "Dad Things" that he felt were important to build manly character in my three brothers.  I don't think he was aware that my little sister and I were taking it all in from the sidelines.  If it was good enough for our brothers, then we thought we should know it too.  These were daily lessons that would affect how each child came to believe and act as adults.

I shall never forget how Dad taught the boys, one by one, the importance of the American flag.  My dad was a working man and I am so very proud of that.  Being a working man, his hands were rough from working with tools and machines.  But as I watched him teach my brothers how to care for Old Glory,
his hands had the grace and poise of a world class musician or artist.  There was a sense of pride, honor and resolve as he and a brother would fold the flag in its appropriate resting form.  There were crisp salutes as the flag would be raised to the top of the flag pole where it would wave with dignity and honor in the warm winds of Texas.  I learned as well, the reverence and honor that a flag draped coffin meant to a fallen comrade.

I believe with all my heart, that one of the reasons I love my country so much, is because I had a family that showed me by their actions what freedom was, and the symbols that paid tribute to that freedom.  My parents were always honest with us.  They were quick to point out that freedom was a blessed part of being an American that not all of the world shared in. 

One of my biggest thrills each year was at Christmas.  Not because I would
get to see Santa Claus, but because I would get to see soldiers on the Bob Hope Christmas show.  There was a connection that drew my heart to them like a magnet rushes to meet steel.  Each year would be a reminder that my life would not be complete until I was among "my own kind", and that was our military.  I would be ready to draw my sword and stand with them in battle.  That was a pretty strong statement for a little girl not even in first grade yet.  But it was real, and it has never left my heart.  

In Texas, if you had horses you spent most of your life at rodeos.  That was not an exception for me.  Because I was so tall and a fairly strong girl at that, and rode a beautiful palomino quarter horse, I was routinely selected to carry the American Flag in the Grand entry and lead the contestants into the arena.  As the contestants leave the arena the American flag and the state flag remain.  The lights would dim and a spotlight would shine on the America flag  as the national anthem would play.   I always had to look straight up at Old Glory and pay her tribute.  Many times, tears would roll down my face, just like they do today.  Just before the national anthem was played,  we would "post the colors".  Don't try this at home, but that is when both horse and rider circle the entire arena and cross paths at full speed.  Driving a convertible sports could can still not give me the rush that posting the colors did at full gate.  

Skip, my oldest brother joined the Army in 1971.  I wanted to go with him.  Now, I would learn first hand the role of Supporting and Inspiring Soldiers beginning with my own family.  I believe that I walked a little taller from then on because my big brother was a soldier in the United States Army, and I was proud of it!  Instead of Skip being an eagle scout saluting the flag, he was a soldier defending the our flag and the freedom it represented.  Little Sis was so proud!