Flag Day is always June 14th!

For more than 230 years, the American flag has been the symbol of our nation's strength and unity. It's been a source of pride and inspiration for millions of citizens.  The American Flag has been the prominent symbolic icon in our national history

Here are some highlights of our Old Glory's unique past.

On January 1, 1776, the Continental Army was reorganized in accordance with a Congressional resolution which placed American forces under George Washington's control. On that New Year's Day the Continental Army was laying siege to Boston which had been taken over by the British Army. Washington ordered the Grand Union flag hoisted above his base at Prospect Hill. It had 13 alternate red and white stripes and the British Union Jack in the upper left-hand corner (the canton).

In May of 1776, Betsy Ross reported that she sewed the first American flag.

On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag for the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."

Between 1777 and 1960, Congress passed several acts that changed the shape, design and arrangement of the flag and allowed for additional stars and stripes to be added to reflect the admission of each new state.

Act of January 13, 1794 - provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795.
Act of April 4, 1818 - provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state, to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state, signed by President Monroe.
Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912 - established proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, a single point of each star to be upward.
Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and vertically.
Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21,1959 - provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizontally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically.

Today our flag consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with 6 white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the stars represent the 50 states of the Union.

The colors of the flag are symbolic as well:

Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor,

White symbolizes Purity and Innocence and

Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.

There were some other early versions of the "Stars and Stripes". A very popular one among them was,the first Navy Jack, used even before the country got its freedom. First used by the Continental Navy in 1775, it had the 13 red-white stripes with a rattlesnake overall, and the motto "Don't Tread on Me."

Fly your American Flag with Pride every day!

and always Remember that

Freedom is Never Free!

"The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart"

"A father is not someone to lean on, but someone who makes leaning unnecessary"

"To be in your child's memories tomorrow ... you have to be in their lives today"

"Fathers learn a lot from children about coping with life. You can learn many things from children .. how much patience you have, for instance"

TOP TEN THINGS YOU'LL NEVER HEAR A DAD SAY

10. Well, how 'bout that? I'm lost! Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions.

9. You know Pumpkin, now that you're thirteen, you'll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won't that be fun?

8. I noticed that all your friends have a certain hostile attitude. I like that!

7. Here's a credit card and the keys to my new car. GO CRAZY!!

6. What do you mean you wonna play football? Figure skating's not good enough for you, son?

5. Your Mother and I are going away for the weekend. You might want to consider throwing a party.

4. Well, I don't know what's wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies--ya know--that makes it run or something.

3. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now quit your belly-aching, and let's go to the mall.

2. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.

1. What do I want for my birthday? Aahh--don't worry about that. It's no big deal. (Okay, they might say it. But they don't mean it.)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."
~Mark Twain

When God created fathers...

When the good Lord was creating Fathers he started with a tall frame. And a female angel nearby said, "What kind of Father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping."
And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a Father's hands, they were large and sinewy.  And the angel shook her head sadly and said, "Do you know what you're doing? Large hands are clumsy. They can't manage diaper pins, small buttons,rubber bands on pony tails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats."
And God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day...yet small enough to cup a child's face in his hands."

And then God moulded long, slim legs and broad shoulders. And the angel nearly had a heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of the week, all right," she clucked. "Do you realize you just made a Father without a lap? How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?"
And God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle, and hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had every seen when the angel could contain herself no longer."That's not fair. Do you honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?"
And God smiled and said, "They'll work. You'll see. They'll support a small child who wants to ride a horse to Banbury Cross, or scare off mice at the summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the Father few words, but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that saw everything, but remained calm and tolerant.  Finally, almost as an afterthought, he added tears. Then he turned to the angel and said, "Now, are you satisfied that he can love as much as a Mother?"
The angel shutteth up.

by Erma Bombeck

 "Children's children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father."
Proverbs 17:7

When you thought I wasn't looking...
by a former child...

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I saw you feed a stray cat,

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I saw you make my favorite cake for me,

and I learned that the little things can be very special in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick,
and I learned that we all need to help take care of each other. 

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I saw you give your time and money to help people who had nothing,
and I learned that everyone can make a difference.

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it,
and I learned the importance of FAMILY.

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good,
and I learned that I would need to be responsible when I grew up. 

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I sometimes saw tears come from your eyes,
and I learned there are things that can hurt,yet it's O.K. to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I saw that you truly cared about people,
and I wanted to be everything that I could possibly be
to follow in your footsteps.

When you thought I wasn't looking...
I looked at you and wanted to say,
"Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."

~Modified Version, Author Unknown Mary Rita Schilke Korzan, Original Author