Words of the Day

Chattel- a movable article of personal property.
Multifarious- having many different parts, elements, forms, etc
Crepuscular- Of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim

Does Patriotism Matter?

Does patriotism still matter? It is a question that many people are still trying to answer. Some say yes and some say no. It is a matter of what you think and what you believe in. I see. I think. I believe.

Patriotism is a love or devotion to one's own country. I believe in patriotism because I'm an American, not an "Englishman". Have you heard of the Revolutionary War? Do you know what the war was fought for? If you haven't heard of the war, it was fought because the New Land (America) wanted freedom from England. If we never fought in the war we would be an England citizen right now. We'd be bigger than England itself! In the past, we would have had to pay taxes on everything and would be forced to be part a certain religion, England’s religion. We’d talk with an English accent.

Thankfully, men and women were courageous enough that they would fight for us and America. In all the wars, America wouldn’t have survived if wasn’t for these brave people. Often, they would leave comfort, friends and family behind to go fight for our freedom. Many never came back and those who did, didn't get the credit they deserved. Hopefully that will change because somewhat recently, they actually had a ceremony for World War 2 veterans.

Also, many songs are recognizing America or her veterans in some sort of way, just like Zac Brown Band's Chicken Fried. Some of the lyrics are, "I thank God for my life, and for the stars and stripes. May freedom forever fly, let it rinng. Salute the ones who've died. And the ones that gave their lives so we don`t have to sacrifice, the things we love."

Patriotism is the reason we have a thriving country. We are free from all other countries so we can grow and do things that many other countries can’t, or won’t, do. We have different religions, different climates, accents, and music! We are a country that has many different cultures.

Now think of what it would be like if we didn’t have patriotism. We would be a country of chaos. We would probably still have slaves and servants, which could have been you. We wouldn’t have some of the movies we have. We never had the Wild West and we probably wouldn’t be as developed as we are now with technology and such.

So the next time you put your hand to your heart and recite the pledge of allegiance, think of why you are saying it and what it means to you as a person. Those veterans deserve your respect. Patriotism is important from wars to traveling from country to country. Patriotism is important. I think it and I believe it.

A Clearing in the Woods

~Author's Note: This was a stream of consciousness journal entry. The idea was a clearing in the woods. I imagine a clearing in the woods mystical and beautiful, so this is what came up.

I sit on the glassy rock, bored. Then I look up and notice that there are golden, red, and brown leaves falling gently around me. I can hear birds chirping out to each other, trying to outdo the others, and can scent the last of the flowers blooming. Squirrels are scampering lightly, racing each other for nuts in the trees. It was like I was in a trance, listening to no one, yet someone. I lurched up and stumbled forward to find the unidentified source of the strange calling. I take a step out of the woods, into a clearing, and realized I could walk forever, except for the fact that it was the forest calling me. I am now fully into the clearing. I walked to the center of the clearing and plopped down. Slowly, silently, animals started to appear. Deer and raccoons and lizards alike all circled around me and, startling, bow down. They part down the middle to where a beautiful wood and ivy throne is waiting. Their question is clear.

Gingerbread Houses

~Author's Note: It was a journal entry and I was thinking about my grandparents house so I decided to write about one of the things my brother and I do there.

At my grandpa and grandma's house in Minnesota, we make gingerbread houses every Christmas. Nathan and Ruth would make one together  while my brother and I would make our own houses. Ruth and Nathan are two of my grandparents' kids. We would make licorice sidewalks, gummy people and yummy animals. The actual houses were made of  graham crackers with a milk carton from school in the center of the graham crackers. We end up having a contest between who's  best and the winner gets a slice of homemade apple pie. Everyone gets one piece in the end but it’s always a lot of fun. Unluckily the last two years we haven't  been able to go thanks to bad weather and working hours between everyone. Hopefully we'll be able to go this year. And the next, and the next.