This past month, I’ve had the opportunity to hear the national anthem at two separate events. One, of which we sang the anthem together and the other where two very talented ladies sang a duet.

Unexpectedly, it struck a chord in me both times and I teared-up at the same verse every time: “And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”

“Our flag was still there” was the phrase that produced an emotional response in me that not only brought tears to my eyes but also gave me goosebumps. I felt such a rush of pride and love for my country that, once again, was unexpected. It just welled up in me as I looked at the flag. At that moment, I was bleeding Red, White and Blue.

I don’t know why these particular times of hearing “The Star Spangled Banner” affected me because I don’t remember being affected by them at other times. It was such a powerful feeling and the only clue to it was that, at the words “our flag was still there,” I remember a thought ran through my mind, “Our flag is STILL here!”

America is still here after 250 years and that’s something for a nation that was built on the simple foundation that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were given to us by our Creator. Everyone’s by divine right.

We survived a war within our own borders that almost tore the country in half but, in the end, didn’t. Our flag was still there.

We sustained an attack within our own borders, twice, by foreign adversaries, within the last 83 years (It will be 83 years since Pearl Harbor was attacked, coming up on December 7, and 23 years since 9-11). Our flag was still there.

The bottom fell out of our economy twice with the Great Depression and the Great Recession. Our flag was still there.

The diversity of peoples and cultures in our country is like no other in the world because no other country in the world was built this way. There are people here from almost if not every country in the world and have been for a very, very long time.

This should have made us weak, if you look at other country’s histories, but it didn’t. It made America strong and scrappy and bold and unapologetic for its American ego. An ego born of people who came from countries that didn’t want them, countries that persecuted them and countries that didn’t value them as citizens or, sometimes, even as human beings.

These peoples’ response was to give those countries the proverbial finger and build, over 250 years, a country that became and still is the world’s most powerful country in the world. Our flag is still here.

It doesn’t matter your race, color or creed. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an Independent, a Democrat or a Republican. It doesn’t matter whether you’re liberal, moderate or conservative. Just stop and take a moment to marvel at what we’ve achieved over 250 years, together, in spite of our differences. Our flag is STILL here.

Adelia Ladson is a reporter for The Moultrie Observer.