The Stink of Skunk Wins Out

As I was driving to pick up my son from gymnastics, I rolled the window down and was so enjoying the evening air. Autumn evenings have a distinct scent to them- earthly, fresh, light. Though things may be dying for the season, they have a send-off scattered with beautiful aroma. That reminds me of the sermon from Sunday- that we are to be a sweet aroma for Christ. Such as easy illustration to absorb into every pore, especially while basking in the dusky shadows of early fall. However, the lovely evening's reflective moment was torn apart as I drove by a carcass of skunk. The stink overpowers and obliterates any hint of sweetness. It flavors the entire pallet and for me, I can almost taste it. Living in Iowa, I never encountered as much skunk as here in SW MO. Spring and fall, always tainted with the overbearing, non-too-undistinct odor of skunk. Oh, well. It was very nice while it lasted. Just a few moments later, I caught a whiff of burning leaves which is almost as nice as the scent of evening itself! Cannot wait for hayrides and shivering and hot chocolate and bundling up!!

Speaking of stink, I heard a report on NPR tonight  (Pledge of Allegiance Fight) about a man who thinks that children should not have to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school because they are publicly declaring an loyalty oath. This is a new one for me. I did not even realize the pledge was voluntary- the things I miss because of homeschooling. Some schools only recite the pledge once a week!!! I remember doing it every day of my school life and not thinking twice about it being offensive. I can understand why someone might object due to religious beliefs- though this country was founded on Christianity and taking God out of it is very dangerous. This man, from Brookline, PA, claims he is very patriotic but tries to tie the issue to peer pressure.  Is it not our civic duty to learn what being a citizen of America means? Isn't that why, in a public school especially, civic duty should not be torn down? This humanistic worldview is so extreme that I am just flabbergasted. If you live in America, you don't have to love everything about it- like who may or may not be in office; how laws are interpreted; how the military is run; the creation of new laws; the party wars, etc. There will never be a perfect country. However, to encourage people not to express their patriotism for their country for the sake of being able to exercise that freedom just seems like freedom gone awry.