True Freedom's Symbol

Tall and proud against the sky,

Our country’s beacon stands.

Each star and stripe the symbol

Of sacrifice by willing hands.

Each thread within its fabric,

A reminder of the tears;

Of sweat and toil and suffering

By men and women through the years.

Our flag, a sign to all the world,

Of freedom, hope, and peace,

Of triumph over hardship,

And victory’s sweet release.

We all saw Lady Liberty

Framed against the smoke…

Of attacks by men in ignorance

Of the promise which she spoke.

Her words cry out to men like them,

The “tired”, and “poor” who suffer,

To the “huddled masses,” “tempest-tost,”

A hope of plenty, she offers.

But there stands a Symbol greater,

Which will endure beyond the years.

Born by our Savior in sacrifice

To wipe away all tears.

The Cross of Christ is the reason

Our Founding Fathers came,

And the only hope for our nation

Is to return to Him again.

The only hope for this country

Is to seek the Creator’s plan,

His Cross the same from age to age,

Dwarfs the symbols of this land.

Ó Copyright, 2001, Norma Gail, October 8, 2001

(Quotations come from “The New Colossus”, by Emma Lazarus, 1883,

engraved on the base of the Statue of Liberty.)

Norma Gail –

Norma Gail has had a love-affair with words since she first learned to read. There is no such thing as

too many books. She loves the mountains, and enjoys tackling 4x4 trails in her Jeep. She is a former RN and homeschool/soccer mom who loves family research, history, and Scotland.

Norma’s passion is sharing Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living. She served eight years as a Discussion Leader in Bible Study Fellowship, and s.has led women’s Bible studies at her church for the last ten years. Her devotionals, poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 18 years. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, and the newly formed New Mexico Christian Novelist Her website, found at www.normagail.com includes a weekly devotional blog, daily scriptures, poetry, and a blog about her debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, set in Scotland and New Mexico.

Norma lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 37 years. They have two adult children.