Independence Day ~

“Those who won our independence… valued liberty as an end and as a means. They believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.”

~ Louis D. Brandeis

I took the liberty to play in Photoshop this morning and create a unique, vintage American Flag to post for Independence Day.  I cropped and rotated the flag and added a layer of texture using Adobe Paper Texture Pro.  Opacity was adjusted on the layer level.

For comparison, I included the original below.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Consolation

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” – Sandy Dahl, wife of pilot of Flight 93 Jason Dahl

The Geranium, in the Language of Flowers, means – consolation.  The definition of consolation is:

comfort received by a person after a loss or disappointment.
synonyms: comfort, solace, sympathy, compassion, pity, commiseration, empathy

I hope that all who survived, those who lost loved ones, and those who served 14 years ago today and during the months following have a sense of consolation in the love from those of us whose hearts are still full of grief, love, gratitude, and inspiration.

♥

A Day of Remembrance and Gratitude

World Trade Center Memorial

 Freedom Waves

 

 

Happy 4th of July

“Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.”

– Albert Camus

 

 

“Stars, Stripes, and Lights of Freedom”

“This, then, is the state of the Union: Free and restless, growing and full of hope. So it was in the beginning. So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith.”

– Malcolm X

“You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”

– Harry S. Truman

 

A special thank you to all men and women who have served this great country so that we may live lives of freedom.  

May it always be so. 

Veteran’s Day

Today’s post is in honor of all of those men and women who have graciously fought for our freedoms, freedoms we take for granted every day.  Freedoms, we don’t often respect, or sometimes forget. Thank you to all of the heros and to the families that have sacrificed loved ones in the name of freedom and liberty.

Veterans

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines,

Are there others, yes,

But these are the ones

We think of before the rest.

Men and women who

Serve our country

And fight to ensure

Our Freedoms are in bounty.

May we never forget their sacrifice

Amidst the chaos of our daily lives.

Honor them,

Thank them,

By being honorable citizens in our own right,

Lest what they lost, be not worth the fight.

Did they die in vain?

For what were they slain?

For love of country and rights they fight,

For the Flag and

Never to lag,

For where freedom is concerned,

There is always a lesson learned.

Citizens wake up,

And care to discern.

Nothing was free,

This land was not purchased on a buying spree.

Behold what is ours,

Respect what took hours of strife,

To give us the life,

We call the American dream,

Lest it be taken away,

By those who stray,

From the founding principles

That made our country what it was before today.

copyright Robyn Graham

Do not neglect the responsibilities of citizenship or THEY will have died in vain.

Vote

In light of the impending election, I thought it appropriate to do a patriotic post.  I love my country and the freedoms it offers and sincerely hope that my fellow countrymen will honor our right, privilege, and obligation to vote, and get to the polls tomorrow.

FLAG

Freedom is not Free.

Love of country and sacrifice are what it takes to

Achieve the

Golden dream we hope never disappears.

copyright Robyn Graham

The Flag Waving in the Breeze at the Romney Rally Sunday Evening in Yardley, PA

Patriotic Sunset

Patriotic Sunset

Happy 4th of July

The American Flag on a Southern Porch