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Saturday, July 24, 2010

Spiritual Sundays





On Thursday of this past week I drove with my Mom to her Uncle Roy's funeral in Wichita Ks. Roy was almost 92 yrs. old. He and his wife were married in 1944!!! When she passed away it had been 62 yrs. WOW. WOW. WOW! Roy was a man of Faith. Roy was a man of Character. He was a wonderful husband, a fabulous Father and no doubt a phenomenal Grandfather. He fought for our country in WW II and was very proud to be an American. As they were shooting off the 21 gun salute and then folding the flag, they shared what each fold represented I was just in awe.

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.
The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.
The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."
The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we 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.
The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on mother's day.
The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.
The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, "In God we Trust."
(Wait for the Honor Guard or Flag Detail to inspect the flag--after the inspection, resume reading.)
After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for us the rights, privileges, and freedoms we enjoy today.


So thankful for Men and Women who Serve and Protect our Freedom. So thankful for Men who love their wives and are Faithful to the ways of the Lord! I am married to a man like this and I thank God for him everyday!

Have a blessed weekend my dear friends!

23 comments:

Mamalisa

I absolutely loved how you shared the folds of the flag and their meaning. In these troubled times, most of the people living in this country have totally forgotten ALL of these things. We Christians need to pray that we don't forget them- nor speak of them frequently!
Thanks for this... it was awesome.
God Bless you.. and God Bless America and those who protect her!

Denise

Amen, such a beautiful post.

Nikki (Sarah)

this is amazing...and the cross highlighted in the back of the flag is the best. And what a legacy you have in your family....Have a great weekend.

Heart2Heart

Loren,

I never knew what this symbolism meant and now am so honored to understand the process in which a flag is folded, inspected and presented to the family. I can imagine them saying each of these words as they reflect on them while folding the flag and coming to a conclusion when it's presented to the family.

I am truly honored now to have learned something new and treasured. Thank you for that.

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

From the Old InkWell

Yes Loren, we all should be so thankful to our men and women in uniform! What a great tribute to your uncle!

Connie

It was an honor to witness the military ceremony at Uncle Roy's service. He was a precious man who dearly loved his family & friends. Thank you so much honey for sharing this experience with me. Love you, Mom XXOO

Ruth

this is beautiful.

Rachel Renee

I'm so thankful, too, for those who fight for our freedom so we can live comfortable lives here at home. Thank God for those who put their own lives in danger so we can live free! God bless them!

This reminds me of what we at home can do, too. We can fight against injustice when we see it. We can fight against those inside the nation who are trying to suddly take away our freedoms. We can fight for the kingdom of God so the devil won't keep people in bondage! There is so much we can do, and we are free to do it because of those wonderful people who put their own lives on the line for us! Thank God for them!

Sandy

thank you for sharing this, Loren! Your uncle's character is awesome, and the information about the folds is great to know!

Musings of A Minister

Beautiful in every way. Thank you.

Saleslady371

Your uncle sounds like God's kind of man. What an example to others who knew him. Have a great weekend.

Daughter of the KING

That is very interesting about the folding of the flag. My brother lost his life in Viet Nam and the Marines gave a flag to my mom and his wife. Still I did not know the meanings of the folds. Thank you for sharing.

Blessings,
Linda J

Elizabeth Dianne

Wow! Loren, I never knew all of this--I can't believe I have lived this long and never heard that--incredible!

Hey, I noticed that where your followers are, there is no number listed. I went in to HTML and tried to find this to remove it on mine but couldn't. Can you tell me how to do that?

Hope your Sunday is blessed!

RCUBEs

I think they should teach the meaning of the folds in our classrooms. Thank you for sharing. I didn't know that sister Loren. I love the picture you shared with your post. I love the way the sun's ray went through the flag resembling the cross. God bless sister Loren and may the Lord's comfort be over your mom's uncle's family and you guys.

Bernie

What a wonderful man your great Uncle was. Although I am a proud Canadian I am also very proud of my neighbours to the South. I too was given the Canadian Flag at my husband's funeral and you know Loren I didn't realize each fold had a meaning, I wonder how similar the meanings between our flags are. Thank you so much for sharing. May God Bless America and Canada (eh)
Big Hugs......:-)

NanaNor's

Sunday Blessings Loren, I just came over from Humble As I Go and so glad I did. You and I visit the same sites so I'm joining as a follower. What a wonderful tribute to your uncle and a wonderful detailed explanation of the folding of our flag.
Hugs to you, I look forward to getting to know you more.
Noreen

Virginia

Thank you for sharing this, the information about the folds is great to know.
Sweet Blessings,
Virginia

Charlotte

What a blessed experience for you. I only recently found out that the folds of the flag each mean something. It is quite impressive.
Have a wonderful week.
Charlotte

Deb Shucka

Blessings to you, too, Loren. Thank you for this great story and the amazing meanings for the folds in our flag.

Anonymous

So sorry for the loss of Uncle. I am glad you was properly recognized for his service to his country. My husband's nephew (civilian) is joining his service wife in Bahrain this weekend. I pray for their safety and thank GOd for all who are defending our freedom. Every time we see the flag, we need to reflect on what it means!

Ginger~~Enchanting Cottage

This is so beautiful. I new a couple but not all of these. What a wonderful post today.
Blessings,
Ginger

He & Me + 3

Thank you for sharing that. I did not know all of the folds meant something. So awesome. What a beautiful picture too.
So thankful for our men and women that fight each day for our freedoms.
Hugs,
Mimi

jayayceeblog

I am so sorry for the loss of your Great Uncle. It's good that you could attend his services with your Mom. I had no idea there was such meaning to the folds of the flag. That was an amazing little history lesson ... thank you! Phenomenal photo of the flag!!!

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