When I was eight, I recited John McCrae’s poem, “In Flanders Field” at a ceremony in the Hudson Memorial Cemetery on Memorial Day. I memorized the poem, and for the first time, stood before a crowd and heard my voice magnified through a microphone. I’m sure I was more self-centered than should be, and really did not comprehend the topic of the poem. But, I heard applause for me. It should have been for those who died saving our freedom.
John McCrae was a Canadian physician who served during World War I. According to www.visitflandersfield.com,
“From 1914 to 1918, Flanders Fields was a major battle theatre on the Western Front during the First World War. A million soldiers from more than 50 different countries were wounded, missing or killed in action here. Entire cities and villages were destroyed, their population scattered across Europe and beyond.” It is the site of an American cemetery.
Many others have given their lives since 1948 when I did my little “thing.” I had won the honor through a contest where students wrote essays, “What America Means to Me.” I had won first prize, five dollars, from the local chapter of DAR. As of two years ago, I have attained membership in this august group, the Daughters of the American Revolution. My long distant relative had fought against the British to help American’s independence.
So now, with deep reverence for those who paid the ultimate price for freedom, all these years, all these decades, all these centuries, wars still rage on. And we can’t forget the sacrifices made by veterans’ and service personnel’s families. The ones left behind should be applauded. The children who change schools every two years or so as deployments follow scheduled progressions, grow up knowing instability and lost friendships and memories.
But today, let this poem, which I remember and could, with a little brush-up recite today at age eighty-one, remind us of the sacrifices these proud men and women have given so we can celebrate freedom. Yes, it seems we are again, and often, in chaotic battles between freedoms and responsible citizenship, and we are all flawed. But today, for the thirty seconds it takes to recite this poem, remember and give thanks. Today, American veterans fashion paper red poppies in memory of those who died, and poppies grow in Belgium at Flanders Field.
A career teacher, with forty years of teaching language arts/English, Betty Jackson enjoys wordsmithing, writing, and reading as a vocation and avocation.Retirement is her "age of frosting," a chance to pursue postponed hobbies with gusto. She especially sends kudos to the Space Coast Writers Guild members for their encouragement and advice. Her five books, It's a God Thing!, Job Loss: What's Next? A Step by Step Action Plan, and Bless You Bouquets: A Memoir, And God Chose Joseph: A Christmas Story, and Rocking Chair Porch: Summers at Grandma's are available at Amazon.com. Ms. Jackson is available to speak to local groups and to offer her books at discount for fundraising purposes at her discretion. She and her husband soon celebrate their 47th anniversary, and have lived in New York, New Jersey, Iowa, and now the paradise of Palm Bay, Florida. Their two grown children and daughter-in-love, all orchestra musicians, and our beautiful granddaughters Kaley and Emily live nearby. Hobbies, and probably future topics on her blog: gardening, symphonic music (especially supporting the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra as a volunteer and proud parent of a violinist, a cellist, and an oboist), singing, book clubs, and co-teaching a weekly small-group Bible study for seniors. She volunteers and substitute teaches at Covenant Christian School, and serves as a board member of the Best Yet Set senior group at church. Foundationally, she daily enjoys God's divine appointments called Godincidences, which show God's providence and loving kindness.