Thursday, November 10, 2016

Just Two Minutes

blooming poppy
On Friday, at the eleventh hour





poppy5
of the eleventh day





poppy season
of this eleventh month,





-poppy
with red poppies pinned close to our hearts,





poppies
Canadians across our nation will share two silent minutes of reflection and respect to remember those who served our country.





poppy2
Two minutes for those whose hearts ceased beating far too soon.





poppy
Two minutes for countless, selfless acts of courage given in exchange for our freedom.





poppy bloom 3
Two minutes for indescribable sacrifice.





poppyy
It's an honour and a privilege for Canadians to pause to remember and respect those who serve.





poppy bloom
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, please honour those who have given their lives so that we can enjoy the freedom we assume as our right.




wet poppy
May we never forget.




In Flanders Fields
~ 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.

32 comments:

Marie Smith said...

Amen, Hilary!

William Kendall said...

Beautiful!

I'll be at the national service tomorrow, and I've got something scheduled for tomorrow also in a poppy theme.

joeh said...

"............................................................."

Amen

stephen Hayes said...

Great pictures, and I enjoyed reading the poem since it's been ages since I first read it.

Karen said...

Thank you. I will be remembering my Uncle Gordon Brotherston who gave his life, and my father and uncles who served and returned to their loving family.

messymimi said...

Thank you for the lovely images, and the solemn reminder.

Tabor said...

May we all pause for two minutes and remember. A beautiful post.

Mage said...

Thank you sooooooo much.

Wendy said...

Beautiful heart-felt post, Hilary.

TexWisGirl said...

i just read a post about a fallen wwi young soldier on a us blog. brought me to tears. bless all the families who gave too much...

Hilary said...

Beautiful photos and sentiments, as always :)

yaya said...

Here in the US we remember also...beautiful post Hilary. Thanks for sharing it.

Red said...

Well said. The older I get the more the remembrance means to me.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

This is a beautiful post in every way. Thank you!

Yael said...

These photos are breathtaking masterpieces of nature and human skills!!
Very sad poem, sad and beautifully written...

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I've read this poem so many times- my dad is a vet and was in the VFW. He handed out poppies on Vet day. Beautiful post!

Maggie May said...

What a lovely post. We've just had the 2 minute silence here at the time of writing.
Maggie x

DJan said...

Beautiful. We will never forget our heroes. Blessings to you, Hilary.

Shammickite said...

I'm going to the service at the Canadian Legion today at 10:45am.
Wearing my poppy.

Phyllis E said...

Reading your post through the tears in my eyes.

Jackie said...

Stunningly heart-wrenchingly beautiful!!

Bone said...

Thanks for this -- the words, photos, and sentiments -- all beautiful.

Linda said...

Great shots; excellent post for the holiday.

Anvilcloud said...

What a fine group of photos on a theme.

Pauline said...

Such lovely photos to go with heartfelt sentiments. Thanks for sharing, Hilary.

Laura said...

Beautiful on every level dear Hillary.

Daryl said...

perfection

Andy said...

Awesome tribute.

photowannabe said...

Beautiful, touching and so reverent.




thecrazysheeplady said...

Beautiful!

Maggie May said...

Beautiful pictures. Those reflections especially...... not forgetting the leaves and the wooden gate. Very lovely post.
Maggie x

photowannabe said...

Amazing tree bark. Such elegant design. Every photo was more stunning than the one before. Thank you for the tour of your neck of the woods.