...and I am not a patriot. I'll admit that today I actually internally sneered at a family that showed up at the pool all dressed to the nines in their red, white & blue. It's a phase really. I used to be just as patritoic as the average person (considering I am Canadian and all), but now I totally judge people by their "God Bless the USA" (how about having God bless Bolivia, or Uganda, or Pakistan?) bumper stickers and such. Our neighbors officially win the prize for the most patriotic family I've ever met...they fly and American flag year round and every year in June they bring out the big guns in anticipation of the most American day of the year! They have about 8 red, white & blue flag swaggie things hanging from each window and balcony. The houses in my neighborhood are not big, so eight is A LOT! It practically looks like they gift wrapped their house in flag wrapping paper. So, although I judge and internally make fun of them to myself every year, they are perfectly nice people. They just looooove America!
SOme people would certainly think I am a horrible parent. It takes every bone in my body to not tell them that they don't HAVE to say the Pledge of Allegiance if they don't want to. The key for me in that, is it's about THEM. Someday, when they ask me a question about these norms and mores that they conform to, I can tell them how I feel and let them make up their own minds. I do not want to be one of those crazy parents that forces their belief system on their children. I want to teach my kids all I can about Jesus and pray that they will learn about love from him through me and Jer and our church. Because that's the bottom line in theology--LOVE.
Totally off topic...so to celebrate the Great American Holiday we went to the pool and got some free grub. It was great. The pool was so cool and refreshing and the kids had a fabulous time. We ate some questionable food (Jam, yo would have been horrified!) and the kids had a mountain of hushpuppies and some pineapple I cut up before we went to the pool. We were so prepared, we brought a cooler with drinks and snacks and everything to the pool! It was great. (How many times have I said great?). It felt like such a perfect family moment--you know one of those moments that you imagine family life will be like, not like the moments when you here yourself screaming things like "I am never taking you to do anything fun ever again!!!" (and yes, I did say this once.)
I am going to upload some pics tomorrow to go along with this fascinating narrative on my life. Peace!
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