Such a beautiful flower, so delicate and such a vibrant colour. There's nothing in this world like looking at a field strewn with Poppy's, its breathtaking.The Poppy has become the international symbol for honouring the dead and fallen during wars, in particular the 1st and 2nd World Wars. Since then there have been other wars, korean, Bosnia, the Falklands and Iraq. It is hard to comprehend that now we are losing so many servicemen and women - do we ever learn the lessons of war?
This takes me to a song by The Men They Couldn't Hang, "Green Fields of France". The song tells the story of someone who has stopped for a rest by a soldiers grave and he ponders about this life of 19 years. He also condemns the fact that although this boy died in 1914, died to end all wars....... it happened again and again and again.
I was so pleased to hear from my boys today that they observed 2 minutes silence at the 11th hour on the 11th day to think about the fallen. Joe stopped his gym class and Harry stopped his swimming class.
I was born about 20 years after the second world war, living memory for those around me. I was brought up in the shadow of war and I thought that the youth of today would be too desensitised to respect the fallen. How wrong I was, and I am glad I am wrong.
I am preparing boxes, small packages containing goodies which I am sending to SOS, these boxes will go out to our troops at war and will help to raise their spirits.
