"I want to live in a house by the side of the road and watch the race of man go by. Men who are good, men who are bad, both as good and as bad as I." (Sam Walter Foss--1858-1911). I had a great literature teacher, Enid Neal (Peterson), when I was at Anthon High School in the late 40's. I still remember some of the life lessons she taught me through literature. This poem came to mind when I pulled up to my friend Mike (and family) Grubb's farm home near Ellsworth last month. They do live in a house by the side of the road--but it gets better than that. Their frontage road is just a "corn field away" from the busy Interstate I-35 where thousands of vehicles pass by every day. The Grubb family can see the race of man travel by and the people traveling I-35 can see the Grubb's farm buildings, too. It was shortly after the tragic incident, now known as 911, Mark and Holly thought of a unique way they could show support for their country in a very visible way. They painted this beautiful American flag on their corncrib.
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
JULY-2017
O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (ESV) (2 Corinthians 3:17)
RETURN TO HOMEPAGE>>>>>>
Above-right: Here is Mark standing by the American flag he and his wife Holly painted on the side of their corncrib. I thought this was the perfect blog post as a tribute to July 4th--2017.
Mark and Holly Grubb have supervised AWANA gametime at church every Wednesday night for many years. We, both adults and youth, always say the pledge in unison as an opener for each session. I don't know--I didn't ask them--but I think this may have been one of the inspirations to paint the American flag on their corncrib. Anyway, I see this as a powerful demonstration of their love for America--yes--"for men who are good, men who are bad----as I."
JULY 4th--2017