I wanted to wrap myself in the flag, as if it were a bandage to heal my wounded heart.
The flag represents America at our finest. Her stars unite us. Her stripes run red with the blood of a million soldiers who died for freedom. Colored red, white and blue, there is no gold on her to divide us, no yellow that we might fear, and no green that we might envy.
In times like these, we proudly, defiantly fly her over dwellings, wear her as clothing, and drape her from caskets, for we cannot bear her out of sight for long.
She is a gift from God to comfort us. She is honor, glory and liberty. She is men wearing crisp white uniforms standing at attention. She is children racing bicycles down Main Street. She is parades and baseball games. She is home.
She is what they tried to steal from us and what they'll never have, because no one can take away that which is in our hearts.
Oh say did you see, by the dawn's early light, through the smoke and ash of a crumbled, broken building that our flag was still there.
The star-spangled banner still waves over the land of the free and the home of the brave.
