Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Remembrance Day 2012

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, a day we honour those who have served our country and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to serve our country.  Because of them, we are free!  We have the freedom to do pretty much anything we want in our beautiful country as long as it is legal. We are blessed to be able to freely move about our country and travel outside our country.  We are beyond blessed to live in a country of abundance that our veterans fought so hard for and continue to do so.

November in our little corner of Ontario, Canada is always dull and grey.  It's rare that the sun peeks it's way through.  November 11 quite often is very cold, rainy or snowing.  It never is pleasant weather to be out in for things like Remembrance Day services.  In perspective, our veterans had no choice whether or not they wanted to be out in the weather.  They couldn't just say 'Hey sarge, I'm taking a sick day.' or 'This weather is going mess my hairdo.' or any number of excuses we, who live in a free country can come up with for not going to a Remembrance Day service.  We are beyond blessed to have folks who serve our country proudly, unselfishly and so giving of themselves  to make it a better place for all of us.  Lest we forget...

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

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.

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.

---

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.