Patriotism

It was around 5:15 pm as I sat waiting for my grandsons little league game to start, the ball fields and spectator sections through out the ball park began to fill. The undeniable sound of cleets walking/running on the cement sidewalks, coaches rallying their teams with pregame warm ups. Parents and grandparents hustling to their child's field to support their little "athlete", whether they were stars, pinch runners and the occasional butterfly catcher in the outfield. "Baseball the great American Pastime". A game that can be played by old and young male and female. Spectators, with their drinks, popcorn or sunflowers seeds ready for the big game.  I am a people watcher and as always I pay a lot of attention to whats going on around me. At exactly 5:25pm the loud speaker played  a recording of a young lady singing the national anthem. The teams, coaches, older men and women rose to their feet and faced the flag removing their hats, many put their right hands over their hearts. I looked over to the American Flag waving in the breeze and then my gaze wandered off to the continued hustle and bustle of the people coming and going on the sidewalks around the ball park. I wouldn't call it disrespect, just maybe a little ignorant, there were several adults talking on the cells phones, children still running around and parents hollering at them to wait up. Shaking my head my gaze returned to the flag. I began to well up with tears, not so much of pride, but sadness. I thought of  our soldiers fighting and dying for this flag. The innocence of the kids playing, that one day they would be fighting that fight and dying for that right. I looked back at the flag as the last verse was being sung "for the land of the free and the home of the brave". Play Ball, the concession stand opened and that was it game on.Sunflower seeds spit to the ground parents cheering on their teams, I sat for a moment, and said a word of thanks to those soldiers  that have fought and lost their lives to All Flags. It's not until we are faced with this kind of truth that we can truly appreciate what we have. When I say All Flags I say this from my point of view as English woman who has seen patriotism  and pride on both continents and as a Mother and Grandmother who wants a better life for her children. So if its ignorance or innocence may God bless our children keep them safe and protect us all. No lessons learned the hard way makes anyone a winner.