Stars and Stripes Forever.

Well, since today seemed to be a pretty good day pain-wise, I thought it would be a good day to pack/sort/pitch the stuff in my linen closets. I only needed help with the top shelves - had nurse Ron pull those things down to my level for me. I sorted through the sheets and tablecloths and cloth napkins - so many were inherited from my mom and Ron's mom and Laurie had asked if I could give her some of them (gladly Laurie), so I went through them all. In doing so, I remembered the tables our moms used to set - with the ample and steaming bowls of mashed potatoes, and vegetables with cheese sauce or butter, perfect salads, and platters of meat - and full to the brim gravy boats sitting next to them. Dinner rolls - mmmm good - with REAL butter.

Anyway, it was a good project for today. A nice box of memories will go in the trailer with Laurie's name on it.

Of course it also meant going through the tons - ok, not tons, but LOTS - of dishtowels I have built up over the years. Some of the towels I've b0ught found their way into scrub buckets filled with Murphy's Oil Soap or Mr. Clean, and I found a few more that qualify for Mr. Murphy during today's task. But oh my gosh - I never realized how many patriotic towels I've bought, and been given, over the last 10 years or so since Laurie went into the military. Stars, stripes, patriotic hearts, lighthouses with flags offering a symbol of "light" as well. (Karen, I thought of you when I put them in the "save" pile, and figured you probably have some which are similar. Then there were the several navy blue and white checked towels with the patriotic hearts on them - Kim and Linda - I remember those with the mugs you gave me (the mugs are amongst those going with us - they made "the cut":). And the red and blue towels with white stars on them which Laurie bought in our favorite gift shop near one of her past duty stations where she and I did some of our best shopping with Ron's blessing - well, ok, maybe not with his blessing, but with his credit card. (Isn't that the same thing?).

And so, even though our patriotically themed wallpaper was stripped last month for the soon to be new owner of our home, the things that made this house our home - the touches that define who we are - will go with us. I am smiling here.

Stars and Stripes Forever? You bet.

God bless those who fight for those stars and stripes - and those of us who wave them proudly as we wait.