"Gallantly Streaming"

"It's a grand old flag, it's a high flyin' flag!" I remember Barbara Emily, about three years old, punching out the words and soaring on the tune while in her car seat in the back of my little white Subaru Justy. You know how three year olds are: once they find something they like, they will repeat it for days on end; sometimes only one word will catch their attention as in, "Flag, flag, flag." I kept my eye on the road but also I began thinking (didn't want to interrupt her) about flags, all the flags of countries I had lived in with Brazil the only one I remembered. Prayer flags and early American flags are my cup of tea. I like the way prayer flags look like colorful washing on a clothesline. Delving this week into the history of prayer flags I found this quote:

"When raising prayer flags proper motivation is important. If they are put up with

the attitude 'I will benefit from doing this' – that is an ego-centered motivation

and the benefits will be small and narrow. If the attitude is 'May all beings

everywhere receive benefit and find happiness,' the virtue generated by such

motivation greatly increases the power of the prayers."

I have often wanted to make prayer flags. The closest I came was in Roanoke during Mimsey Camp when B.E. and Henry made paper stars of all sizes and we strung them on a wire and gave them the official title of, "String of Stars." They have been the first thing to go up whenever I have moved. I think my summer project will be poetry prayer flags. I will make seasonal ones. Wordsworth for Spring; Shakespeare for Summer; Basho for autumn; Rosetti for Winter. All flower related, of course. Tibetan flags use cloth. I am partial to cloth but I will probably go with paper as I can then attach ornaments. It's the age of 3-D and 4-D so why not have my flags a poppin'? There will have to be some musical ritual involved, too. First thing every morning I might just look over and quietly sing the familiar strain, "It's a grand old flag. It's a high flyin' flag and forever in peace...." Join me in the singalong?

....may summer projects be fruitful for you and bring blessings of peace...