Flags on the fourth of July
03 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
When I started in the #real estate business, a colleague in my office asked if I would be ordering flags for the #fourth of July. I wasn’t sure what the purpose of the flags was, but it was something I was told I should do, so I ordered some. When the day came to place them on lawns in my neighborhood, I was very nervous. Should I get permission from the homeowner? Would people be upset that I was leaving something on their lawn? I began to relax when people started to wave and to thank me, but the biggest reward each year comes from conversations I have with people about the flag, and how much it means to them. Some stories veterans share are sad, telling of lost comrades or injuries. Some are victorious, telling about battles won. This morning’s story was a little different.
A Vietnam veteran named Harry told me that when he was on leave, and staying at a guesthouse in Vietnam, he noticed a Colorado flag being used as a dog’s blanket. His hosts thought it was a viet cong symbol! What was most precious about this flag was that it held the hand-written signatures of the Colorado soldiers who had taken it to Vietnam. Harry asked for the flag and his hosts agreed to give it to him, but when he got up next morning they had washed it, removing all the signatures! He took the flag home, though he would have much preferred it to be covered in doghair if it still had those soldiers’ signatures.
Today, it is truly an honor for me to place flags on my clients’ lawns, in gratitude for business I’ve received during the year. I get so much in return! Have a safe and happy #Fourth of July!
