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.
- Lt. Colonel John McCrae, Canadian Army Medical Corps(1872-1918)
The poem above is a product of World War One, the great scar of history that changed the world and differentiated between ages. As you can tell by the dates, the writer became one of the millions who died in the carnage.
In Britain and Australia, Canada and other Commonwealth countries today is known as Remembrance Day, a name that dates from the Great War so many never came home from. The red poppies, mentioned in Lt. Colonel MaCrae's poem are a symbol worn by millions - to remember.
As with most such times, many of the men and women involved were aware that they were involved in a defining moment in human history as much as those who came after them and looked backwards.
We are in the middle of such a defining moment, whether we realize it or not.
Remember today that freedom has a price. And that price - sometimes the ultimate price-is paid by those willing to pick up the gun and defend it.
If you run into a vet today, take a moment to let them now how much you appreciate what they've given us.
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