[blueteal]

PLEASE WEAR A POPPY.

"Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.

A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned in on he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"

The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see.

"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too.

"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.

"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.

"Till at last, at last, the war was won -
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"

A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!

And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!

~~By Don Crawford.~~
_________________
Sue & Denver
http://blueteal.net/denver.htm
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
- Josh Billings

[seazr]

Beautiful, Sue . . .
_________________
Diane (and Dakota)
http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/seazr/

[Raleighsmom]

I share Dianes sentiments......Thanks for posting this Sue, and a Happy Remembrance Day and Veterans day to everyone! God Bless and protect all of our troops wherever they may be....
_________________
Kathie,Raleigh & Molly!

"Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier

[rtkh656]

Thank you Sue ! My husband is a Vietnam Vet--I took my favorite Veteran out to dinner tonight. We are the "Home of the free, because of the brave "---thank you for remembering today !! Kathy, Lizzie and Louie

[Doggonecrazy]

Thank you all! I am a veteran of 15 yrs of service. My husband and son are currently serving.

Happy Veterans Day to your husband Kathy. Thank him for me for his service.
_________________
Vicky (Jett and Copper)

[annabelles mom]

Remembering and honoring all Veterans - It saddens me that so many lives have been lost forever and so many lives changed forever, the horror the men and women have to live with everyday.

My cousin was in Vietnam, I remember Daddy's cousin calling to tell us that Donny had been injured and was being flown home - Thankfully, his injuries were not life threatening, he spent his time in the VA hospital recovering. I will never forget when he came home and we went to see him, He was telling us how he was injured - they were being air lifted out of an area - there was not room on the chopper for D to go with his Colonel, they would send the chopper back - it got in the air and was shot down - D was injured by shrapnel, his Colonel and rest of those on chopper died - the hurt in his eyes was awful, it is terrible that people have to live with wartime memories
_________________


Mary & Annabelle
Zippity Doodle, Zippyity ay, My O My what a WonderDoodle Day !

http://www.picturetrail.com/luvlabs

[MaxandMe]

SUE thank you so much for taking the time to post that for all of us!
(((((((((sue))))))))))))))))
_________________
Annmarie, Max,& Peanut
Forum BLOG ARTICLE LINK http://blog.labradoodle-dogs.net/

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Anatole France

[the1missp]

Yes, thank you Sue.
_________________
Pip & Rich, Dougie, Rose, Dekker the Doodle and Ruby the red cat.

[blueteal]

I just wanted in some small way to not
forget how important today is...............
Thank you all for caring about this post and
honouring those who have given their lives for all
of us....................
_________________
Sue & Denver
http://blueteal.net/denver.htm
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
- Josh Billings

[Calimom]

Thank you Sue! That is very moving. My heart and prayers go out to all who serve.
_________________
Meg and Cali