Sunday, November 8, 2015

Two Minutes

blooming poppy
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.

54 comments:

Marie Smith said...

Beautiful. The definition, clarity and colour are all beautiful. love it๐Ÿ™‚

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful poppy, the top one is superb Hilary

Out on the prairie said...

Always have a poppy hanging from my rear view mirror I refresh each year when they do their campaign

Rita said...

Most beautiful! :)

Jackie said...

Breathtakingly beautiful....
Thank you to all who have served so that we may remain free.

yaya said...

Beautiful tribute. Beautiful photos....amazing photos! Here in the States we'll remember also. Thanks to all who serve and have served...Heroes in my eyes!!

William Kendall said...

Beautiful shots. I will be present at the national service on Wednesday.

Rick Watson said...

Well said. Beautiful pictures.

Shady Del Knight said...

Lovely words and pictures, dear friend Hilary. Your many friends stateside will join you in prayer and remembrance.

Leah J. Utas said...

Well done.

Andy said...

Beautiful posting with beautiful photos and beautiful words.

Tabor said...

A stunning and well-planned post. Then add the stunning photography.

Musings of a Creative Writer said...

Beautiful photos! Veteran's Day is on Wednesday for the US as well (though, maybe for other countries it's Remembrance Day?) and this is such a beautiful, well planned post. John McCrea's vilanelle is also a beautiful, perfect touch for this poem - it's one of my favorite poems!

Barb said...

Heartfelt and so true! These poppy photos are ephemeral - a tribute in themselves.

TexWisGirl said...

i don't know if my comment went thru or not...

so beautiful. very touching.

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

This is just perfect. Thank you for your lovely photos.

Gillian Olson said...

Well said, I will pause and remember, thank you for this tribute,

The Furry Gnome said...

Remembrance Day is now so much more personally meaningful since our son died, serving the country in a different way.

Red said...

Well said. I think we do better at remembrance than we did in the past.

messymimi said...

We need to remember them, and remember the lessons, or we will have to repeat them. Stunning photos.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

A beautiful post in every way, my friend.

Indrani said...

Looks beautiful in every stage.
Love this color! Very well taken images.

photowannabe said...

Beautiful and may we never forget....no matter what country we live in.
I am so grateful for those who served and are now serving.
The red poppy is the perfect symbol.
Thank you for sharing.

ADRIAN said...

A beautiful tribute.

DJan said...

Your pictures are so wonderful to look at and remember. I will be traveling at that time, but I'll put a reminder so that I'll remember those two minutes. Thank you, Hilary, for this beautiful post. :-)

Kapiolani said...

Hilary, thank you for your timely post and gentle reminder about the very special Wednesday holiday we'll all share. This post touched my heart. Namaste.

Theresa said...

Lovely! Thank you.

Hilary said...

wowza. you sure did it this time. what an incredible post. I give to you the invisible award of "perfect".

Daryl said...

what an exquisite collection of remembrances ...

ellen abbott said...

gorgeous photos of a beautiful flower. I just finished reading a book whose main character was a bomber pilot in WWII. so so many died, some not even surviving their first run.

Tammie Lee said...

such a lovely tribute~
amazingly beautiful photos of the poppies!

Lori Buff said...

Beautiful words and images. It might be nice also to do something for the military personal that survived, many are injured in ways we can and cannot see.

Cloudia said...

Amen. Blessed are the brave!





ALOHA, Friend; Thrilled to be back!
ComfortSpiral

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Unknown said...

This is so refreshing. I remember having to memorize that poem as a kid!

Becca said...

I love the pictures and the message is wonderful also. I wish Americans did something like that!

EG CameraGirl said...

Beautiful photos, Hilary! Perfect for Remembrance Day!

waldlaeufer68 Frank Scholtyssek said...

Class photographed when one looks at the flowers as close you can see details that you in passing does not recognize .... great lighting atmosphere
greetings Frank

Joanna Jenkins said...

Perfection from start to finish.
I will remember.
xo jj

What Karen Sees said...

All these images are beautiful, but the first one is a show stopper. Love your words as well.

Phyllis E said...

A perfectly beautiful and beautifully perfect tribute to everyone who we remember on Remembrance/Veterans Day. Thank you, Cousin!

Suldog said...

Amen. As always, beautiful photography. The words are just as beautiful and you may rest assured I shall be silent at that time.

Anvilcloud said...

You gave me goose bumps.

Dan said...

Beautifully composed and written... Ms. Smitten.

Linda said...

Beautiful images, and just right for honoring veterans.

Anonymous said...

Stunning work!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful all over. That first image is amazing. But of course, the sentiment is what is most important. The US will be honoring our veterans tomorrow as well. I'll keep the Canadian veterans in my heart along with the Yanks.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

Beautiful as your posts always are -- and extra special for Remembrance Day/Veterans Day.

Kathleen's Blog said...

Beautiful---we, as Canadians, are so fortunate because of the sacrifice of our soldiers, then and now.

Mage said...

Stunning. Thank you for this truly powerful reminder. This beautiful reminder.

Shammickite said...

A special day today. I am so fortunate that I have not personally experienced war in my lifetime. I am honouring all servicemen and women today.

Gayle said...

Beyond beautiful.

Lisa said...

You took my breath away.

Laura said...

So tender Hilary.

Jenn Jilks said...

Yes, a lovely post. We didn't go out to a service, due to hubby's issues. But JB shared his late uncles and his father's photo and medals. It meant a lot to our kids and grandkids, as they were here visiting. We watched the CBC service on TV and talked about it.