From Sea to Shining Sea

Do you have a song that touches your patriotic soul? This is one of my favorite songs. I love to sing it in church on national holidays.


America, The Beautiful

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion’d stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine!

O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

What's your favorite patriotic song?

Let's Go for a Hike

On a recent Friday, after working 9-6, I met Tim and Scott for dinner. I'd missed a beautiful day being cooped up inside the store, and I was itching to get outside. Scott mentioned the Asbury Trails might be a nice place for a hike, so he drove me by there. Back at the house I asked Tim if he was up for a hike.

He cocked his head and gave me the you gotta be kidding look, but he agreed. The two of us headed back to the trails.





The trail down to the Kentucky River was steep and a little slippery from recent rains. There was plenty of daylight beaming through the trees so visibility was fine.

There were so many pretty sights to admire along the way, and it never ceases to amaze me how awesome God is in His creativity.

We made it down as far as the trail would go and enjoyed the scenery. By now it was after 8:00, and we chose to go back to the parking area another way. This path wouldn't be as dark and should be safer as the sun descended.



When we reached the end of this new trail, we were not at the parking lot. It ended on a little old country road. We never saw a car, not even ours. The parking lot closed at dark, and it was growing dark. We called Bill to look up on the map and try to help us figure out which way to walk. (Do you know how humbling it is to ask your kids for help?) If it'd been earlier in the day, we would've laughed.

At last we found our car and drove out before dark. Now we could laugh.

Flag of the Week

How cool is this truck?



I wish I had a quote to share from this trucker.

What do you think he'd say if you asked him how he felt about the American flag and the United States?

Virginia Military Institute

I don't believe I'd heard of Virginia Military Institute until some good friends mentioned they were headed there for their nephew's graduation this year. VMI is a state supported military college which only enrolls military cadets and gives baccalaureate degrees. It's located in Lexington, Virginia.

All cadets must participate in ROTC, but they can pursue non-military career paths or take a commission in any of the active or reserve parts of the United States military when they graduate.


While attending VMI, they learn the value of service. Or maybe the knew the value of service beforehand and that's why they chose to attend VMI.

A few ways they give back to the community while attending the institute are: help with Toys For Tots, Habitat for Humanity, help local animal shelters, blood drives, food bank, local park cleanup, and even tutoring at local elementary schools.

When people say the youth today are lazy and not motivated, I'll mention these young men and women attending VMI. There are many other young adults, and youth, focused on making the world a better place, and I appreciate them all.

Flag Day

In case you don't know it, there's a holiday to honor our flag.


Here's a great quote from General Douglas MacArthur:

“I see that the old flagpole still stands. Have our troops hoist the colors to its peak, and let no enemy ever haul them down.”


I spotted this flag one evening in Indianapolis, and it looked so beautiful, I had to snap a picture.

Nothing screams summer like a lemonade stand

Tim and I visited my sister-in-law and her daughters over the weekend. The girls began dreaming of having a lemonade stand. They knew they had the ingredients to make lemonade, but they debated if they had enough cups and straws. So off the flew to investigate their supplies.

Soon a friend rang the doorbell, and the dream turned into reality. All three girls disappeared into the kitchen and made a pitcher of lemonade. They carried out chairs and a little table.

I test-tasted the lemonade while they made their sign. The were many giggles and whispers.

Tim and I dug around to see how much change we could come up with to drop into their piggy bank. We've been around long enough to know the amount needed to be divisible by three to avoid any arguments at the end of the day. With change in hand, we walked down the sidewalk and approached the lemonade stand. We noticed some last minute scurrying about, so we slowed our steps. When they were ready for business, we were their first customers. The girls' excitement was contagious.

We enjoyed a glass of lemonade and scooted away for their next customer.




I want to encourage you to stop the next time you spot a lemonade stand. Make a child's day, and enjoy a refreshing glass of lemonade.

Flag of the week

I love this quote by John Wayne.

"Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be."

Flag of the Week

To show respect for my country, I'm going to try to post a picture of the United States flag every week this year.

To start us off, here's a quote by Virginia Foxx, "The American flag is the most recognized symbol of freedom and democracy in the world."