If we’re going to finish Inktober 2026 with a bang, let it be this song. I learned it in grade school, have sung it all my life, AND find it both emotional and inspirational. I wanted to play around a bit with the words, so I opened my box of black ink pends and grabbed a different pen for each letter. YES! I have that many black ink pens…it’s a gift and an addiction.
I wanted to honor the patriotism of this song by adding a dash of the red, white and blue. So I was added the stars on theft side, and utilized a more subtle nod to those three colors by hiding more within the piece. It was fun and challenging and a great way to end my month of ink!
For the last time this Inktober let’s take a deep breathe and sing this one with pride and patriotism…
My Country T’is of Thee
– Samuel Francis Smith 1895
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing
Land Where My Father’s Died
Land of the Pilgrim’s Pride
From Every Mountainside
Let Freedom Ring
Interestingly enough, this is also an election year. Next week we vote for many people and issues. No matter what you believe or who you vote for, be sure to vote. Many people fought and died for us to have the right to vote….so let’s not take it lightly. We vote not just as a political exercise, we vote to make sure our vices are heard. And if you do not vote then you have given up your right to complain.
Tonight is also Halloween. We get to pretend to be who or whatever we want to be. We dress up in costumes and spread merriment and cheer. We beg for candy, sing, dance and for a couple hours forget our woes. And then, as if elections and Halloween are not enough, we turn our clocks back an hour. A trifecta of life and time…
I think Samuel Francis Smith, author of this song in 1895, would be gobsmacked to see where we are today. Never take for granted your options and opportunities. The only thing that can stop you from being your best self is YOU. Give yourself a break, take heart, muster your courage and do whatever it is YOU want to do. Don’t let an opportunity pass you by, for it may not come again.
Let me finish out this Inktober by giving thanks for you my readers. I appreciate your support and compliments on my art and words. I read every comment and am amazed that people all over the globe take to time to appreciate what I have created. The world is a VERY BIG place, and yet the internet has made it feel a bit more cozy…and this Inktober thing is incredible. If you’re bored, google Inktober 2026 and take a gander at the work of artists from all over and appreciate what they have done for the last thirty-one days. It is no small thing to make a piece of art each day for thirty-one days with ink. Sort of like being able to vote, wear a costume and get an extra hour’s sleep…all wrapped into one period of time.
Hooray for Inktober 2026, and stay tuned as I continue to create and write …there is more fun and creativity to come!
