Meat for the Hungry

  robert-linder-fcFEnjBmm14-unsplash In a few days, we will celebrate the moment our fledgling nation declared its independence from Great Britain. On July 4th , many will display the A m e r i c a n F l a g , fondly known as Old Glory. But how many of us know the history and meaning of our flag, the banner we A m e r i c a n s rally around?   Our A m e r i c a n F l a g “…comprises two basic elements: the canton or union (the blue corner with the stars) and the field , composed of red and white stripes.   The canton is a rectangle of Old Glory Blue overlaid with 50 white 5-pointed stars, representing the 50 states of the Union. The field comprises 13 stripes, 7 in Old Glory Red and 6 in plain white, representing the original 13 colonies founded in the 17th and 18 th centuries. After the federal government designed and officially used the Great Seal of the United States for the first time, they gave the colors on the A m e r i c a n F l a g a meaning: ...

  Photo by Robert Linder Within the span of 39 days, we A m e r i c a n s will celebrate two National Holidays: Memorial Day, traditionally observed on May 30 th , and our Nation’s Birthday on the 4 th of July.   Originally, Memorial Day was called Decoration Day. It was and is the day proclaimed to remember our fallen servicemen and women, to decorate their graves with the American Flag, to posthumously honor and thank them for their sacrifice. Then comes the observance of our Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.   Still, to celebrate any National Holiday, we raise our b a n n e r high. We stand and rally around the f l a g of the U n i t e d S t a t e s o f A m e r i c a while our hand crosses our chest to place it over our heart. We pledge allegiance or sing our National Anthem, The S t a r -S p a n g l e d Banner , which now stands for all free and brave Americans. It originally commemorated the battle for Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland, a ni...