I had not read this in a very long time. Thanks for posting it!

Thank you for reminding all of us to think of lives lost.
This is a beautiful post circe.

Hi Toots!
I had not read this in so very long...thanks for the reminder.
I remember today my Father-In-Law, and a wonderful Brother-In-Law...and of course, all of the troops who have fallen in the name of liberty.
You're so beautiful!
:)

IN FLANDERS NOW
An answer to Lt.Col John McCrae by Edna Jaques

We have kept faith, ye Flanders' dead,
Sleep well beneath those poppies red,
That mark your place.
The torch your dying hands did throw,
We've held it high before the foe,
And answered bitter blow for blow,
In Flanders' fields.

And where your heroes' blood was spilled,
The guns are now forever stilled,
And silent grown.
There is no moaning of the slain,
There is no cry of tortured pain,
And blood will never flow again
In Flanders' fields.

Forever holy in our sight
Shall be those crosses gleaming white,
That guard your sleep.
Rest you in peace, the task is done,
The fight you left us we have won.
And "Peace on Earth" has just begun
In Flanders' now.



--------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------

WE SHALL KEEP THE FAITH
An answer to Lt.Col John McCrae by Moina Michael - 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.



--------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------

AU CHAMP D'HONNEUR


Au champ d'honneur, les coquelicots
Sont parsemés de lot en lot
Auprès des croix; et dans l'espace
Les alouettes devenues lasses
Mêlent leurs chants au sifflement
Des obusiers.

Nous sommes morts,
Nous qui songions le veille encor'
À nos parents, à nos amis,
C'est nous qui reposons ici,
C'est nous qui reposons ici,
Au champ d'honneur.

À vous jeunes désabusés,
À vous de porter l'oriflamme
Et de garder au font de l'âme
Le goût de vivre en liberté.
Acceptez le défi, sinon
Les coquelicots se faneront
Au champ d'honneur.



--------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------

WHY WEAR A POPPY
By Don Crawford

%u201CPlease wear a poppy,%u201D the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.

A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
%u201CLady%u201D, said he, %u201Cmay I have one?%u201D
When she%u2019d pinned it on he turned to say,
%u201CWhy do we wear a poppy today?%u201D

The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, %u201CThis is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free %u2013
That%u2019s why we were a poppy, you see.

%u201CI had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
And became a man %u2013 as you will, too.

%u201CHe was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, %u2018Goodbye,
I%u2019ll be back soon, Mom, so please don%u2019t cry.%u2019

%u201CBut the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.

%u201CTill at last, at last, the war was won %u2013
And that%u2019s why we wear a poppy, son.%u201D
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, %u201CThanks, lady, I%u2019m glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
but your son %u2013 did he come back all right?%u201D


A tear rolled down each faded cheek:
She shook her head, but didn%u2019t speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you%u2019d have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, is oft-delayed,
Though our freedom was bought %u2013 and thousands paid!

And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country%u2019s call
That we, in peace, may see the sun.

Please wear a poppy, it says: %u201CWell done.%u201D



--------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------

Man has yet to learn the meaning of 11-11-11...I fear he never will.
I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner, thanks for sharing.

Thank YOU EZWAYS!

I DONT REMEMBER WHEN I READ THIS, BUT IT STILL HAS THE SAME IMPACT