The national flag of Ireland is a vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist), white, and orange. It is also known as the Irish tricolour. The flag proportion is 1:2 (length twice the width). Although the flag's meaning is not covered by the Irish Constitution, the Irish government has stated that the green represents the Irish nationalist tradition of Ireland and the orange represents the Orange tradition in Ireland, with white representing peace, or a truce, between them.

For centuries, Ireland was under British rule.  But that didn't mean that Ireland wasn't struggling for its freedom.  As a matter of fact, the same flag that Ireland flies today was first introduced by Irish nationalists in 1848, when they were in the midst of a revolution to secure their freedom.

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There was a news story a few years ago about an older couple with no children who put an ad in the paper for an adult child who had no one to come join them for the holiday and become a part of their family.  A young woman estranged from her own family answered the ad and became like their adopted daughter and she had a warm and inviting place to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas and to feel a part of something she had not known for years.  There are a lot of reasons people are alone during what should be the most joyous time of year and many of the reasons are not of their own making.  As we get older we begin to lose the people we knew one by one or friends and family don’t keep in contact or you become estranged from family or you have a loved one serving their country far from the home fire and the lights of the tree.  Someone you know might say they want to be left alone but everyone wants a home or place to go to feel the warmth of the fire and to feel the warmth of how a Christmas tree brings back memories that warm the soul.  Reach out and touch another soul and rekindle the flame that flickers in someone alone.  Merry Christmas!

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December 7th is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Honor those who died as a result of their service at Pearl Harbor by flying the flag at half-staff this Tuesday!

At dawn on Sunday, December 7th 1941 naval aviation forces of the Empire of Japan attacked the United States Pacific Fleet center at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and other military targets. The goal of this attack was to sufficiently cripple the US Fleet so that Japan could then attack and capture the Philippines and Indo-China.  On December 7^th 1941 my uncle, John “Bud” Hobbs, was in the Philippines and was later taken prisoner by the Japanese when the Philippines fell and was forced to take part in what became known as the Bataan Death March.  My uncle survived that ordeal and his later interment in a Japanese prison camp until he was freed from that hell and returned home to Shadyside.  The war was over except in his nightmares………….
 

Feel free to use the photo of the flag at half staff on my profile. On December 7th 1941 as people were sitting down to lunch on the East Coast of the United States the first reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor were coming in and everyone gathered around the radio to listen.........

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