R-E-S-P-E-C-T

My apologies to Aretha Franklin for using her great song as a blog post title. But respect is on my mind today.  Today I had to take Emma to school. We were a little early, so we sat in my car for a few minutes in front of Parkland High School.  I was looking around, such a beautiful school, and noticed the American flag hanging limp in the pouring rain.  I said to Emma that the flag is not supposed to be out in the rain. She said “Dad, nobody cares about those rules anymore.”

And, she’s right. There is so much that nobody cares about anymore. Like manners, and humility, and a good work ethic. A disclaimer: I am not the  most patriotic man in town. I am here because I was born to two Americans. Personally, I didn’t really care that I saw our flag in the rain.  When I hear people say God Bless America, I think…shouldn’t we be asking God to bless the whole world? But, that’s me.

You know who was very patriotic? My 8th grade reading teacher, Homer Moyer. In fact, I think I learned about flags in the rain from him. He was very big on respect for the flag. Back then I probably thought that Mr. Moyer is a little over the top.  But, in hindsight, he was very perceptive. Perhaps he knew where things were headed. Looking back, I admire the things he tried to teach us about having respect, not just for the flag, but for ourselves and our appearance and our character.  He taught me the joy of reading and about the influence we each have on societal norms.  Thank you, Mr. Moyer.

So where do we go from here?  The title of this post is R-E-S-P-E-C-T.  If our nation is in a downward spiral regarding this topic, is it too late to change?  I hope not. This is one of those things that start with each of us. If everyone of us starts to be more respectful, maybe we can start a wave of optimism that moves us forward. Maybe we could change the national anthem to Aretha’s signature song.  Well…maybe not.

I try not to get political in my blog posts. I hope that this didn’t cross a line. If it did, I apologize.  See! Wasn’t that me being respectful!

It is raining outside and will be all day. Let me end this post with a rain inspired Beatles lyric. “And the fireman rushes in, from the pouring rain. Very strange.”. See you next time when I reveal how long I have been on Earth!