GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — “It’s all from the heart," said Zach Baker. "That’s where it starts, you know?”
Just like a morning jog, every story has a beginning and end.
However, Baker's tradition is one that has no finish line.
When it first started, Baker said, "a lot of people were looking at me like I was crazy."
"Well, they're probably right," I joked.
"They are right," he responded.
Baker doesn't care what people think. He's only concerned about one thing.
“Standing for what I believe in," Baker said. "Supporting America. Loving America."
He doesn't just stand for it. He runs for it. Every day.
Rain, snow, or shine, you can count on Baker to be on the sidewalks of northeast Grand Rapids with the American flag high above his head.
This morning ritual began on the 20th Anniversary of a national tragedy that he was too young to remember.
"When 9/11 happened, I was only three years old," Baker said. "Growing up, learning about it, knowing that it was like that to innocent people. I feel like that is wrong. If I can't really do anything about it, I'll show my emotion a different way and do it the right way."
With each step forward, Baker honors those from our past, whether it be the victims of 9/11, or the others who risked their lives fighting for our freedom.
That includes his own grandfather, Richard Langley, who served in the Navy.
“He's looking down on me every day smiling," Baker said.
He does it all while marching to the soundtrack of American anthems in his headphones.
Baker doesn't do this for attention, but others started taking notice.
The Northfield Lanes Bowling Alley showed its support.
"They love it, and I love it, too," Baker said.
A fitting way to reflect on his own patriotic practice that all started from the heart.