Memorial Day is a reminder to show love and appreciation to all of the men and women who have given up so much for our freedom. “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” Never forget it and remember to show your love and thanks all year ‘round.  It’s all about love and these folks deserve loads of it. I am sharing this photo of a ceramic plate that my son made several years back. One hundred percent his own idea and creation, the American flag was the first thing he decided to make at the ceramic studio. He shaped the clay on top of a paper plate and fashioned the edges irregularly, using a stick to press in lines for the stripes and poke holes to represent the stars. It is far from an exact replica of stars and stripes, but is now used on every red, white and blue holiday at our home to serve food to our friends and family. I am sharing this with you all today because this “imperfect” flag plate is actually more than perfect to us. It is a really cool one-of-a-kind piece of art. Life is not perfect and it’s not always easy, but sometimes life’s imperfections end up becoming invaluable memories or true beauty marks on your life’s canvas. Perfection is completely overrated. Step back and take in all that is around you, make time to give back, try something new, make your own flag plate and accept life’s imperfections, yes even your own. The American flag is a sign of pride, strength and freedom. Really, it is much, much more than that for many people. Today, it reminds me to be thankful for so much. It reminds me of a fun day at a pottery studio where we all had brown clay under our fingernails, where we all had a chance to be creative and where this amazing plate was made. Thank you to all of our service men and women. It is great to be an American in “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.”