The Poppies Blow

Red is the color of the poppy flower that I remember sticking on my shirt as a child. I knew it stood for Fla*ders Field in WW I (where many poppy flowers grow) and the soldiers that gave their lives there. Over time Memori*l Day has come to be a time to remember all our fallen soldiers, not just those from 
WW I.

I was out in the country this past weekend and spotted an elderly lady selling poppy flowers outside a store. I hadn't seen that in a long time. I dropped some money into her box and tucked the bright flower in my shirt button. It brought back childhood memories when Memori*l Day was a bigger deal. But I also bought it to remember something much bigger. I'm remembering in gratitude those that lost their lives defending our freedom.

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.

                ~Lt. Colonel John McCrae


Reposted from a year ago. See Chari's  Happy to Design for more Sunday reposts.