Missouri is affectionately called the Show Me State, and for several good reasons. The first is the love of God, as possibly the largest cross in the Midwest is situated on Interstate 44 next to a massive automobile dealership and looming large over an adult products store. That, my friends, is the second reason: Missourians have the best raunchy sense of humor in the bible belt.
The third reason Missouri ranks high in show-and-tell is their patriotism. Old Glory, a 30 by 60-foot version, flew in the stiff wind at a Pilot truck stop near Joplin where I found a gentleman of a certain age having coffee.
Road Trip
He introduced himself as John, then told me with a wry grin that his wife was a late sleeper and still snoring away in the Econo Lodge hotel a few blocks away. He was heading to a cancer treatment center, but wanted to get in a road trip before arriving at the Minnesota Mayo Clinic for a new round of treatment.
He stared out the window as the soaring flag billowed, colors streaming into the blue, cloudless sky. John served this country as a Marine in Vietnam and had continued as a reservist until 2011 – the first time he was diagnosed with cancer.
We talked about Trump, the crazy Kavanaugh hearings, and the state of his once beloved Democrat Party. He shook his head as he described the way he was raised as a proud member of a Democrat family:
“My daddy was a rancher just west of here, closer to Oklahoma. He was a proud man. Raised a Christian family. My brothers and I served our country, voted every election if at all possible, and I won’t miss these midterms coming in a few weeks. I may still be a registered Democrat but just like 2016, I will vote Republican. I can’t stand what my party has become.”
It was the finest 30 minutes I have spent conversing with a stranger in a very long time. But as his phone chirped, he was off to fetch Elizabeth, his wife of “over four decades,” which is how she preferred to describe their marriage. He shook my hand goodbye, wished me luck, and headed out the door, stopping once to throw a straight as an arrow salute to the massive flag dancing in the Missouri sky.
God’s Country
Missouri is chock full of roadside chapels, billboards with text messages from God, road signs touting everything from fireworks to fudge and why the Second Amendment is vital to freedom. And the Democrats you meet, though few and far between, won’t steal your MAGA hat or run you out of the local diner.
Americans in flyover states are the finest people I have ever met. They love their God, country, and family. And they never fail to enlighten, entertain, or make one feel you have known them for a lifetime.
