Twists and twirls as flags unfurl . . . spinning us forward with new pride.

The events of last week—the twin bombs at the Marathon Finish Line and the stranger-than-fiction manhunt that culminated in the arrest of suspect #2 — have left many of us feeling our allegiance to the flag greatly renewed. As people look away from their electronic devices and toward eye-to-eye contact and real time conversation with strangers, family members, and friends, the sense of community grows. Annoyances of New England blizzards, scorching summer days, and massive traffic jams suddenly pale in the light of our newly invigorated Patriotic emotions. Patriot's Day will surely never be the same as the war zone came home.