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by John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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by Amanda Bradley:
Peace will come when people live
In friendship, side by side,
And cherish understanding
More than hatred, greed and pride.
Peace will come when people see
All people as the same,
And no one has to live in fear,
In ignorance, or shame.
Peace will come when people
Who are needy can reach out
For shelter, food, or love,
And no has to do without.
Peace will come when people
Learn to listen and to care
About the rights and dignity
Of people everywhere.
Peace will come when love and trust
And kindness know rebirth,
And on that day all people
Will rejoice in peace on earth.
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Dear friends,
Several years ago, I was visiting my sister and her husband on Memorial Day weekend for one of their son's graduation from high school. During the comings and goings during that weekend, I noticed that the TV in the living room was playing war movies, almost continuously. At some point I asked my brother-in-law, "What's with all the war movies? Is this the military channel?" I had no clue. My brother-in-law, a retired navy veteran, reminded me that "it is Memorial Day!". And he was playing these movies, many of them classic depictions of WWII, as a way of remembering and honoring the hardship that so many have endured in service to their country. I don't know if he does that every year, however, the idea of remembering our war veterans is very real for families who have suffered that loss, in any war or military conflict.
When I researched Memorial Day, I found articles reminding us to "not lose that perspective." Memorial Day is "a day on which those who died in active military service are remembered." It used to be celebrated on May 30th but was changed to the last Monday in May along with other Monday holidays. And it now includes all veterans who have died and for some families, all who have died period.
"For most, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. It's a chance to get a free day off work and school, and a convenient excuse to escape to the shore for the first time of the year. But for veterans and their families, Memorial Day is solemn, it's reflective, and it's a time for them to remember fallen brothers and sisters." - Anna Orso, www.pennlive.com
So, during the festivities of the 3-day weekend, amidst the barbeques and family gatherings, take a pause to remember lives cut short by war and their families. Let's honor those who stand up for all of us. And pray for skillful means to peaceful solutions so they don't have to.
Om shanti, Karen
p.s. Remembrance poppies - In 1915, following the Second Battle of Ypres, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a physician with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote the poem, "In Flanders Fields". Its opening lines refer to the fields of poppies that grew among the soldiers' graves in Flanders. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
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