Symbol of Freedom

Independence Day is celebrated across the United States to remember the birth of our country, becoming free from oppressors. One of the great symbols of our freedom is the American flag. For as long as I can remember, I have loved the American flag and the national anthem. I cannot get through singing, “The Star Spangled Banner” without tearing up. When I look at the American flag I can sense and feel all those who sacrificed throughout our history to create a country where I have the freedom to worship the way I desire to worship and to enjoy the many freedoms of travel, work, and numerous other freedoms we have. It pains me when I see people disrespect the American flag because of all that it symbolizes to me.

When I first left my marriage, I had no intention of changing my name. I felt that it would be less confusing for my children if we had the same name. But as time went on and I struggled to truly become free from the oppression of my marriage, I felt that as long as I carried his name I would never be free from my ex. There was a part of me that felt like he owned me. I considered going back to my maiden name but felt that returning to that name would be symbolic of going back to who I used to be. I was no longer that person; I was an entirely different entity now.

The middle name given to me at birth was Tiare (pronounced: tee-ah-ray or the more common way of saying it is to say the letters T-R-A). It is the name of a flower used in the South Pacific to make leis. The flower is symbolic of beauty, friendship, and purity. I have always loved my middle name. As I struggled for freedom and personal identity, I began signing my poetry with the name Amy Tiare. I felt that my middle name was a name no one could take from me. As a woman, my last name would change based on marriage but my middle name would always be mine. As I struggled to establish who I was, I knew that I needed a personal symbol of becoming a new person. I finally decided that at the time of the divorce I would take my middle name and make it my last name.

I love my name! Even though no one knows how to pronounce it, it is a thing of beauty to be called Amy Tiare. Just like the American flag, my name is a symbol of freedom for me. Freedom from oppression, freedom from fear, freedom to express myself, freedom to live. There is a song sung by the Christian group Mercy River called, “Free.” I discovered it shortly after leaving my marriage and felt it very symbolic. The lyrics go like this:

Free

By Jenny Phillips and Tyler Castleton

Far beyond the burden of this over grown path

There are clear and open fields of green, green grass

How long has it been since you ran in those fields of green

And like a child let go and felt your hair fly in the breeze

This is how God designed our lives to be

We’re free, we’re free, to live, to live

With joy with life with love for Him

So raise your hands up to the skies

We choose to let His light inside

We’re free.

When your hands hang down and your skies are dark

When the wonder and joy have left your heart

Go and find that place where the world is open wide

Where you look into the sky and let your deepest dreams run wild

We were meant to feel His goodness in our lives

We’re free, we’re free, to live, to live

With joy with life with love for Him

So raise your hands up to the skies

We choose to let His light inside

We’re free

How will you celebrate your freedom today?

This is a drawing that my niece, Rebekah Dodge, made for me of the Tiare flower