Of Statues and Fountains and America

There is nothing more delightful than sharing something you enjoy with someone else – especially when that someone else is your eight-year-old niece. Last Sunday, my niece and I had a little extra time to spend together. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for a trip to Greece. We settled on a trip to the garden store.

Garden stores have some key advantages over museums: no sirens go off if you step too close or even onto an exhibit; you can talk as loud as you like; you can touch and smell almost anything you want; you can get your hands dirty or wet or both; and, everything is for sale – including a little plush Rottweiller puppy that was sooooo cute, and would be soooooo cuddly… Okay, maybe everything for sale is NOT an advantage.

Despite that little detour, we had a fantastic time. We cooled our fingers in anything that had water, whether fountains or birdbaths. My niece expressed her inner “Greek” and modeled several versions of a goddess. She smelled flowers, touched a stone turtle, took a photo of a Cupid, and then wanted to see more statues.

We found the motherlode – an entire greenhouse full of them. No longer intrigued by the animals or Greek goddesses, she was drawn to an Uncle Sam statue with a flag. Fascinated, she bent down to look him in the face, touched the flag, and then struck a sincere patriotic pose.

I could attribute her burst of enthusiasm to her piano and singing performance of Yankee Doodle earlier in the day or her natural vivacity, but that would shortchange her. She goes to a school that teaches students to value our country, government and flag. And my niece embraces that teaching. Her action touched my heart.

With Memorial Day, Flag Day and the Fourth of July approaching, we could all take a lesson. The many good things that the USA offers and the sacrifices so many have made for our well-being and freedom deserve recognition. For my niece's sake, and for our own, we will certainly remember to fly the flag at our house for these special holidays.

For a renewed expression of your patriotism, check out our selection of American flags and Americana. Maybe you can inspire someone, too.