Memorial Day - A Poem by Edgar A. Guest

WWI Era Picture Postcard

Memorial Day

A Poem by Edgar A. Guest

From "Collected Verse of Edgar A. Guest"

Copyright 1934

The finest tribute we can pay

Unto our hero dead to-day,

Is not a rose wreath, white and red,

In memory of the blood they shed;

It is to stand beside each mound,

Each couch of consecrated ground,

And pledge ourselves as warriors true

Unto the work they died to do.

Into God's valleys where they lie
At rest, beneath the open sky,

Triumphant now, o'er every foe,

As living tributes let us go.

No wreath of rose or immortelles

Or spoken word or tolling bells

Will do to-day, unless we give

Our pledge that liberty shall live.

Our hearts must be the roses red

We place above our hero dead;

To-day beside their graves we must

Renew allegiance to their trust;

Must bare our heads and humbly say

We hold the Flag as dear as they,

And stand, as once they stood, to die

To keep the Stars and Stripes on high.

The finest tribute we can pay

Unto our hero dead to-day

Is not of speech or roses red,

But living, throbbing hearts instead

That shall renew the pledge they sealed

With death upon the battlefield:

That freedom's flag shall bear no stain

And free men wear no tyrant's chain.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Thank You Veterans

I spent the morning making a batch of Veterans Day cards to donate to my local Senior Citizens Center. I don't usually mass produce my cards, but I hope the veterans will enjoy these cards on Friday.

This week the theme of Mo's Digital Challenge is "Give Thanks". The card must be a Thanksgiving card or thank-you card.

This is how I made the card;
(1.) I started with a pre-made blank card that measures 5" by 7".
(2.) I stamped the image of the soldiers on the bottom of the card with black ink. This cling stamp is "Band Of Brothers" from Stampers Best.
(3.) I framed the digital image with yellow, red and royal blue Bazzill cardstock.
(4.) I used an image from the Mo's digital stamp set "Support the Troops!" I colored the image with Copic sketch markers.
(5.) I embellished the card with a piece of patriotic "USA" ribbon.

On the inside of the card, I inserted a piece of parchment paper with the following sentiment;

"Freedom is not Free.
Thank you for your service.
Veterans Day
11-11-11"

I am so thankful for our men and women serving out country in the Armed Forces.  If you make handmade greeting cards, please consider making some cards for Operation Write Home. This is a great way to let our soldiers know that we appreciate them.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

War

Today is Veteran's Day.  The picture above is a postcard that was issued during World War I.  This poem is dedicated to all who have served our country.

War

War is a performance staged by the "Angel of Sin"
When he opens his theater and invites everyone in;
The chief actors engaged are "Power" and "Greed"
Which have flourished for years on a poor people's need.

A great many characters must put on this play,
"Selfishness" first has a long prologue to say,
Then bold "Authority" rushes out to be shown
And "Hatred" springs up, by evil tongues sown.

In the tragedy, "Beauty" alone has no place,
And "Truth," despairing, stands hiding her face,
While "Hope," "Love" and "Charity" are striving, each one,
With the players to see that the "Right Thing" is done.

The scenery used is fair places laid waste,
Homes broken up in disaster and haste,
Children dying of hunger, mothers frantic with fears,
A background of sorrow, of blood and of tears.

The stage is the "World", and millions of men
Are engaged in the cast, and none can tell when
The performance will end, the curtain rung down
On the "Angel of Sin" with his reign overthrown.

Oh! May the time come and may it come soon,
That, the tragedy over, we are granted the boon
Of "Security" and "Peace" which "Victory" has won,
Then "Hope" will abide because "Justice" was done.

Poem by Lavina M. Bodley (Wandering And Wondering, 1932)

Merry Christmas And Semper Fi

A few months ago I was looking at posts on the AnySoldier.com web site. I have sent packages to soldiers in the past, but it had been about a year since I had connected with a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I noticed a post that was not asking for supplies for the soldier, but was seeking school supplies for children in an orphanage.

I happened to have a bunch of beanie toys and some other supplies that I thought the children would enjoy. I boxed them up and sent them on their way.

I began thinking about the Marines who were more interested in helping children than in getting items that would make their lives a little bit easier. I went to the store and bought some sweets and snacks that I thought the soldiers would enjoy. I am the mother of a Navy veteran and I will always be a military mom at heart.

Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a Christmas card with a Marine patch in it. I will truly treasure this gift because I know what it represents. Thousands of soldiers will be separated from their families this Christmas. I know that is tough.

Merry Christmas and Semper Fi, my friends. May God bless you and keep you.