Time Travel Tuesday: First Car Experience

Posted on July 10, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Our Time Travel Tuesday topic this week, hosted as always by My Life as Annie, is our first car or first driving experiences.

The first time I ever drove anything at all, my dad had been washing the car — perhaps I had been helping him, I don’t remember — but it was getting close to time for me to take Driver’s Ed., so he told me to pull the car from where he had parked it to wash it back up to its usual parking space beside the fence. He got in the passenger seat, but he didn’t tell me anything about what all the different pedals and dials were. I guess he figured I had been in a car enough to know the basics. I started the car and he showed me how to put it in reverse so we could back it from where it was, then pull forward. I stepped on the gas pedal for the first time — way too hard — and we went zooming back. He said, “Step on the brake! Step on the brake!”

I said, “Where’s the brake?!!”

And I backed over the mailbox. I didn’t just run into it. I knocked it over.

I’ve written before about my dad’s temper, and I was waiting for the fireworks to start — but he burst out laughing. Thankfully!

I’ve never had my very own car. I always drove the family car. I don’t even know what most cars are unless I see it on the outside somewhere. One time the family car, the second one I drove, was some kind of big long thing. A guy at church asked me once what color it was supposed to be. I said I thought it was black, but it was a little faded. Then I remembered my mom always called it Ol’ Purple. That just hadn’t registered with me before, and I was horrified that I had been driving around a purple car!

I still drive the family car, but as all four drivers in the house have their own vehicles, for all practical purposes our champagne-colored (though we call it tan) mini-van, which I unashamedly love, is “my” car.

Feel free to join in on the car and driving edition of Time Travel Tuesday here.

Though everything goes wrong…

Posted on July 8, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Sometimes life throws people for a loop. Even Christians. And I think maybe for Christians the hardest part is that we thought we had figured out how God was going to handle it. We pray, sure that we know what would best glorify the Lord in a certain situation — and then nothing happens like we planned. And, worse, not only is the prayer seemingly unanswered, but disaster strikes, resulting in confusion, pain, and loss.

A couple I once knew were on deputation for the mission field when their young son was stricken with leukemia. Not only did they have to deal with the heartbreak of a seriously ill child, but when there was no miraculous healing, no improvement from the treatments, and trial upon trial rolled in on them, they had to rethink their whole life’s work, wondering if they had been mistaken to think God wanted them on the mission field in the first place. One of the things they said that stayed with me was, “God isn’t who we thought He was.” They were shaken, not just in their circumstances, but to the core of their faith.

These folks hung on in faith, though shaken. But I have known people who, when wounded or dismayed by the events of life, turn on the Lord like a wounded animal might snap at the hand of one trying to help.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the little book of Habakkuk, only 3 chapters long tucked in the minor prophets. He starts out his prayer by saying, “O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” Then he registers his complaint with the Lord about how things are going. The answer he gets certainly wasn’t what he was expecting: not only is the Lord not going to relieve Habakkuk’s (and Israel’s) problems just yet, but He reveals something worse is about to happen. The Chaldeans are coming as a judgment upon Israel. Habakkuk argues back to the Lord, that, no, this can’t be! One of the things God says in response to Habakkuk is, “the righteous shall live by his faith” (2:4b). All of chapter 3 is a prayer of Habakkuk in response to what God has told him, and he ends it this way:

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.

Though everything is going wrong, I will take joy in the God of my salvation, He is my strength.

Now, those who know me, don’t worry — I am not facing any disasters or faith-shaking situations at the moment. I have in the past, and I am sure I likely will again in the future. Anyone who lives for any length of time will. It would take too long and be too tedious to trace the train of thought that led to this post, but I’ll just say that I know several people going through various degrees of trials right now, and I have seen various responses. The last thing anyone needs is one of the miserable comforters like Job had. There have been whole books written on the subject of the trials of life that I’m sure I can’t add to or condense down to a single blog post. Grief, confusion, pain — those are all normal responses. In many of the Psalms David pour out all of those things to the Lord. But it is just on my heart to encourage anyone reading this who is going through one of life’s trying times in this way: cling to the Lord. Cling to what you know of Him. Encourage yourself in His Word. Hang on for dear life. Charles Spurgeon in the June 22 entry of Morning and Evening puts it like this:

“That those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”
Hebrews 12:27

We have many things in our possession at the present moment which can be shaken, and it ill becomes a Christian man to set much store by them, for there is nothing stable beneath these rolling skies; change is written upon all things. Yet, we have certain “things which cannot be shaken,” and I invite you this evening to think of them, that if the things which can be shaken should all be taken away, you may derive real comfort from the things that cannot be shaken, which will remain. Whatever your losses have been, or may be, you enjoy present salvation. You are standing at the foot of his cross, trusting alone in the merit of Jesus’ precious blood, and no rise or fall of the markets can interfere with your salvation in him; no breaking of banks, no failures and bankruptcies can touch that. Then you are a child of God this evening. God is your Father. No change of circumstances can ever rob you of that. Although by losses brought to poverty, and stripped bare, you can say, “He is my Father still. In my Father’s house are many mansions; therefore will I not be troubled.” You have another permanent blessing, namely, the love of Jesus Christ. He who is God and Man loves you with all the strength of his affectionate nature—nothing can affect that. The fig tree may not blossom, and the flocks may cease from the field, it matters not to the man who can sing, “My Beloved is mine, and I am his.” Our best portion and richest heritage we cannot lose. Whatever troubles come, let us play the man; let us show that we are not such little children as to be cast down by what may happen in this poor fleeting state of time. Our country is Immanuel’s land, our hope is above the sky, and therefore, calm as the summer’s ocean; we will see the wreck of everything earthborn, and yet rejoice in the God of our salvation.

Summer reading list

Posted on July 7, 2007 by Barbara Harper

I forgot to mention in all of spring’s busy-ness that I won a book in one of Katrina’s Books-Galore give-aways! I received not just a copy, but an autographed copy of Scrap Everything by Leslie Gould. Thank you Katrina and Leslie! Leslie is a new author to me, and I am looking forward to exploring this book!

These are the other books I hope to read this summer:

The Ultimate Weight Solution by Dr. Phil McGraw. I started it for the Spring Reading Thing but haven’t finished. It’s good — I just have to labor more with non-fiction.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman. This was also on my spring list, but I just didn’t get to it. I had to order it because neither the library nor the bookstore had it.

True Light by Terri Blackstock. This just came out in early June. It’s the third in a series.

The Restorer by Sharon Hinck. In progress, loving it!

Cassidy by Lori Wick. Lori, Terri, and Sharon are all authors whose books I eagerly anticipate before they hit the shelves and usually get them as soon as I can.

The Potluck Club Takes the Cake by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson. I first picked this up when it caught my eye on the shelf in my Christian bookstore. I wondered about it at first — Christian characters should be flawed, because real Christians are, but these ladies FLAWED! It was neat to see how they all grew in their faith through the series. A different touch in this series is that every chapter is written from the point of view of one of the characters.

Summer by Karen Kingsbury, next to the last, I think, of the Baxter family series, coming out later this summer.

Only two other non-fiction titles, though I have many stacked up on my shelves: Spirit of the Rainforest: A Yanomamo Shaman’s Story by Mark Ritchie, recommended by Jungle Mom, and In the Best Possible Light by Beneth Peters Jones, about Biblical femininity. I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic for a long time and am looking forward to what she has to say.

Added: Sweet Dreams Drive by Robin Lee Hatcher.

One Candle To Burn by Kay Washer

If I finish all those, I have a TBR list compiled from recommendations I’ve seen here and there. 🙂

Continuing on a weekly (for the first one) or daily basis:

Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker by Lynn Bowen Walker.

Daily Light on the Daily Path compiled by the Samuel Bagster family.

Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer.

And, of course, the Bible, best book ever. I’m currently in Esther, reading straight through: Job is next.

(Graphic courtesy of Anne’s Place)

Poor Suzie

Posted on July 6, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Our poor dear dog hates thunderstorms. It started raining this afternoon and Jesse put Suzie-the-dog in her cage where her doghouse is. She went straight in where it was dry and seemed fine. Then it started to thunder. I heard a little sound outside the door — and there she was. She had gotten out of the fenced area outside and come to the door of the house. So we let her in and dried her off and she sought refuge near a real live person.

We let her in at night and set up a partition between the sunroom and the rest of the house (there is tile out here, so it’s not so much a problem for the doggy smell and occasional accidents, but carpet everywhere else). But if there is any kind of storm, she pushes through and looks for somebody.

I can’t blame her. I don’t like thunderstorms either.

I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. Psalm 55:8

I wish I could tell her in a way she would understand that it will all be over in a little while.

For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalm 107:25-31

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Psalm 57:1

Show and Tell Friday: Pink roses

Posted on July 6, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home hosts “Show and Tell Friday” asking “Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, an antique find. Your show and tell can be old or new. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there’s a story behind your special something, that’s even better! If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your “Show and Tell” on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky.“

I am drawn to pink roses. I just love them. I thought today I’d show you just a few of the things around my home with pink roses on them.

My stoneware is Pfaltzgraff’s Tea Rose pattern.

My living room furniture has pink roses in the fabric pattern.

This is a small topiary that I found at our Christian bookstore.

These aren’t pink, but I deliberately chose sheers with roses in the lace pattern. 🙂 The swags that go over these are also pink with very light roses in the pattern.

I bought the little heart-shaped vase and my husband bought the taller figure for me. I think it is possibly supposed to be a candle holder, but I have never put a candle in it. And you see a little of the living room wallpaper with pink roses on it behind them.

My husband bought this for me (doesn’t he have good taste? 🙂 ) I love how it fits in with the wallpaper. I am sorry it is dark and not very clear — I was having a hard time trying not to get my reflection in the glass and not having a glare from the flash.

I was delighted to find this for $2 or $3 at Hobby Lobby!

I didn’t get this just for the pink roses on the front. 🙂 It has beautiful letters, sayings, and illustrations in it. I got it at the Cracker Barrel restaurant years ago.

I also got this little pillow at Cracker Barrel. Some day I want to learn how to do ribbon embroidery.

Some friends from church bought a little coffee and gift shop and turned it into a restaurant. They sold off all the little gifts at clearance prices and this little miniature armoire was one I couldn’t resist.

I got tis print for about $6 at a frame shop and then found an inexpensive mat and frame for it. I loved everything about it — the Victorian feel, the peacefulness of the feel, the girl reading (another love of mine!), and the roses.

My husband got this for me at our Christian bookstore.

This is the carpet on our bedroom floor. It was here when we got here and probably has been here for ages — its discolored in places, but I just love it.

I got this years ago at a Home Interiors party and loved the front porch with flowers and the mom stopping what she was doing to hug her child and see what he had drawn.

Outside:

With the exception of the big wall print my husband bought, most of it wasn’t much money at all.

I know too much pink and too many roses can seem too sweet and cloying, and really, believe it or not, I try not to let it overpower the house. We do have some rooms with little or no pink or roses in them, my concession to living with all males. My husband doesn’t mind, but my sons complained about “all the flowers” when they were younger. I think they’ve gotten used to it now…though they may have been trying to tell me something here:

Our Fourth

Posted on July 5, 2007 by Barbara Harper

We enjoyed a pretty restful day at home — restful except that I hadn’t made it to the store on Tuesday and had to go Wednesday morning. It was pretty busy (so at least I wasn’t the only one!) but the cashier said it had been really busy the day before. Then I spent the afternoon baking cookies.

Our church had a short service and a fellowship dinner. The church supplied fried chicken, beverages, and paper products and we were supposed to bring cookies, cakes, or pies for a contest plus a side dish. Last year we were to bring something red, white, and blue for dessert, so I borrowed and idea I had seen in Family Fun Magazine (but I can’t find it on their site now!) and dipped some strawberries in melted white chocolate and then again in blue sugar (leaving red showing at the top, then a line of white, with the blue at the bottom so you can see all three colors). So I was trying to think of another red, white, and blue dessert when this was announced and I had to switch gears mentally. I ended up making the cookies I usually make for most church or school functions, a chocolate chip recipe with vanilla pudding mixed in. And I won the adult cookie division! There were only 3 or 4 ladies who made cookies, so it wasn’t a terribly big deal. But it still felt nice. 🙂 My prize was a cookie sheet and a really cute kitchen towel with chocolate chip cookies on it.

Unfortunately the cookie sheet won’t fit into my small oven, so I might give it to the church kitchen or see if someone else can use it.

By the way, here’s a free tip and it’s not even works-for-me-Wednesday. 😀 When we first moved into this house, my tried-and-true favorite cookies were not turning out right, burning and sticking to the pan. I had never had that problem that I can remember. In trying to research and find out what was wrong,. I read that your cookie sheets have to have a proportionate amount of space around them in the oven for the hot air to circulate and for them to bake evenly. I got smaller cookie sheets, and, voila, everything turned out fine. I can only get a dozen cookies on the size sheets that fit, so it takes ages to make a triple batch for a church function with some left over for home.

The fellowship was fun, the food was great, and we got to visit with some good friends.

Often we go to a nearby colonial battlefield where they have a yearly fireworks display, but this time I was tired and overfull and just didn’t feel like dealing with the distance and traffic. Jeremy really had his heart set on seeing some fireworks, though, so he and Jesse and Jim drove around to see if they could find anyone shooting some off. They finally did see some pretty nice ones. Unfortunately we can’t have them in the city limits. We used to like to get some little ones (the interesting kind, not the kind that just makes noise. One of our favorites was a little tank that spewed fireworks out the back while it rolled).

I flipped back and forth between some of the special holiday programs on TV. Some times in the past they’ve been pretty good, but there wasn’t much interesting this year.

Then I curled up with the book I’m reading and enjoyed a few pages before I fell sleep. 🙂 I’m reading The Restorer by Sharon Hinck — great stuff!!

Here’s that recipe:

Pudding Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 pkg. (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 pkg (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine butter, sugars, pudding mix, and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Mix flour with baking soda. and gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chips. Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes (mine usually take 10-12 minutes). I used to add chocolate chunks or miniature Hershey’s kisses just for something different, but I haven’t been able to find those lately.

Freedom and discipline

Posted on July 5, 2007 by Barbara Harper

It doesn’t seem like those two words would go together, does it? People who want freedom in their personal lives usually don’t want discipline. Today’s e-mail devotional from Elisabeth Elliot’s writings, sent out by Back to the Bible, shares some intriguing thoughts along these lines. Here is just an excerpt from the longer article, which is an excerpt from her book All That Was Ever Ours.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man who epitomized true freedom in his acceptance, for God’s sake, of the prison cell and death, wrote: “If you set out to seek freedom, then learn above all things to govern your soul and your senses. . . . Only through discipline may a man learn to be free.”

Freedom and discipline have come to be regarded as mutually exclusive, when in fact freedom is not at all the opposite, but the final reward, of discipline. It is to be bought with a high price, not merely claimed. The world thrills to watch the grace of Peggy Fleming on the ice, or the marvelously controlled speed and strength of a racehorse. But the skater and horse are free to perform as they do only because they have been subjected to countless hours of grueling work, rigidly prescribed, faithfully carried out. Men are free to soar into space because they have willingly confined themselves in a tiny capsule designed and produced by highly trained scientists and craftsmen, have meticulously followed instructions and submitted themselves to rules which others defined.

I spent some time living with a jungle tribe whose style of life looked enviably “free.” They wore no clothes, lived in houses without walls, had no idea whatever of authority, paid no taxes, read no books, took no vacations. But they had a well-defined goal. They wanted to stay alive. It was as simple as that. And in a jungle, which can look very hostile indeed to one not accustomed to living there, they had learned to live. They accepted with grace and humor the awful weather, the gnats, the mud, thorns, snakes, steep hills, and deep forests which made their lives difficult. They never even spoke of “roughing it.” They didn’t know anything else. They’d walk for hours with hundred-pound baskets on their backs and when they reached their destination, perhaps in a tropical downpour, they did not so much as say, “Whew!” They knew what was expected of them, and did it as a matter of course. None asked, “Who am I?” They asked only, “What am I to do this next moment?” If it were to hunt or to make poison for darts, a man did that, or if it were to go out and clear new planting space, a woman did that. Their freedom to live in that jungle depended on a well-defined goal and on their willingness to discipline themselves in order to reach it. No one could “give” them this freedom.

I lived with these footloose people in their “jungle” environment–a nonproductive member of their community–and enjoyed a kind of freedom which even hippies might envy. But I was free only because the Indians worked. My freedom was contingent upon their acceptance of me as a liability and, incidentally, upon my own willingness to confine myself to a forest clearing where all I heard was a foreign language.

The 100th Thursday Thirteen Celebration

Posted on July 5, 2007 by Barbara Harper

I have kind of gotten away from the Thursday Thirteen meme, but today is its 100th week in business, and it has been suggested that we post about our favorite T13 posts.

1. Thirteen reasons to read the Bible

2. Thirteen favorite Bible verses

3. Thirteen quotes about prayer

4. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

5. Thirteen of life’s little pleasures

6. Thirteen things to make small groups run more smoothly

7. Thirteen favorite jokes

8. Thirteen favorite Q&A jokes

9. Thirteen favorite quotes and Short quotes

10. Thirteen one-liners and More one liners

11. Thirteen things you might not know about me

12. Thirteen mixed metaphors

13. Thirteen favorite puns

Bonus 1: Just because it’s that time of year: 13 signs of summer in the South

Bonus 2: I’ve enjoyed many other T13s of others, but just don;t remember them or didn’t keep track of them. But 13 quotes on age and aging caught my eye because I am facing a “milestone” birthday next month and I saved these for future reference. 🙂

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

The Best Freedom

Posted on July 3, 2007 by Barbara Harper

(Graphic courtesy of Snapshots of Joy)

Glorious Freedom

by Haldor Lillenas

Once I was bound by sin’s galling fetters,
Chained like a slave, I struggled in vain;
But I received a glorious freedom,
When Jesus broke my fetters in twain.

* Refrain:
Glorious freedom, wonderful freedom,
No more in chains of sin I repine!
Jesus the glorious Emancipator,
Now and forever He shall be mine.

Freedom from all the carnal affections,
Freedom from envy, hatred and strife;
Freedom from vain and worldly ambitions,
Freedom from all that saddened my life.

Freedom from pride and all sinful follies,
Freedom from love and glitter of gold;
Freedom from evil, temper, and anger,
Glorious freedom, rapture untold.

Freedom from fear with all of its torments,
Freedom from care with all of its pain;
Freedom in Christ, my blessed Redeemer,
He who has rent my fetters in twain.

John 8:32, 3: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Romans 3:23-26: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Revelation 21:6: And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Revelation 22:17: And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Poems for the Fourth of July

Posted on July 3, 2007 by Barbara Harper

The Old Flag

By H.C. Bunner

Off with your hat as the flag goes by!
And let the heart have it say;
You’re man enough for a tear in your eye
That you will never wipe away.
You’re man enough for a thrill that goes
To your very finger-tips–
Ay! the lump just then in your throat that rose
Spoke more than your parted lips.
Lift up the boy on your shoulder high,
And show him the faded shred;
Those stripes would be red as the sunset sky
If death could have dyed them red.
Off with your hat as the flag goes by!
Uncover the youngster’s head;
Teach him to hold it holy and high
For the sake of its sacred dead.

A Patriotic Creed

By Edgar Guest

To serve my country day by day
At any humble post I may;
To honor and respect her flag,
To live the traits of which I brag;
To be American in deed
As well as in my printed creed.

To stand for truth and honest toil,
To till my little patch of soil,
And keep in mind the debt I owe
To them who died that I might know
My country, prosperous and free,
And passed this heritage to me.

I always must in trouble’s hour
Be guided by the men in power;
For God and country I must live,
My best for God and country give;
No act of mine that men may scan
Must shame the name American.

To do my best and play my part,
American in mind and heart;
To serve the flag and bravely stand
To guard the glory of my land;
To be American in deed:
God grant me strength to keep this creed!

A Patriotic Wish

By Edgar Guest

I’d like to be the sort of man the flag could boast about;
I’d like to be the sort of man it cannot live without;
I’d like to be the type of man
That really is American:
The head-erect and shoulders-square,
Clean-minded fellow, just and fair,
That all men picture when they see
The glorious banner of the free.

I’d like to be the sort of man the flag now typifies,
The kind of man we really want the flag to symbolize;
The loyal brother to a trust,
The big, unselfish soul and just,
The friend of every man oppressed,
The strong support of all that’s best,
The sturdy chap the banner’s meant,
Where’er it flies, to represent.

I’d like to be the sort of man the flag’s supposed to mean,
The man that all in fancy see wherever it is seen,
The chap that’s ready for a fight
Whenever there’s a wrong to right,
The friend in every time of need,
The doer of the daring deed,
The clean and generous handed man
That is a real American.

The following isn’t a poem but rather a reading of the Pledge of Allegiance with explanations along the way by Red Skelton:

Red Skelton’s Commentary on the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance

As a schoolboy in Vincennes, Indiana, one of Red Skelton’s teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. It is followed by an observation of his own.

I: Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge: Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance: My love and my devotion.

To the Flag: Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of courage; and wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, “Freedom is everybody’s job.”

Of the United: That means that we have all come together.

States: Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that is love of country… of America.

And to the Republic: Republic–a sovereign state in which power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For Which It Stands

One Nation: meaning, so blessed by God.

Indivisible: Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty: Which is Freedom; the right of power for one to live his own life, without fears, threats, or any sort of retaliation.

And Justice: The principle, and qualities, of dealing fairly with others.

For All: That means it’s as much your country as it is mine.

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: “Under God.” Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools, too?

— Red Skelton
1913-1997

—Read on the “Red Skelton Hour”
January 14, 1969

Other Interesting Reading:
“Remembering the Fourth of July” by David Barton (have to scroll down to this part of the article).