Memorial Day 2020…A Time to Remember Our Fallen Heroes

Memorial Day is a time to remember all the men and women who lost their lives serving our country.  This year, we have a special group of heroes to add to our Day of Remembrance – those brave, dedicated doctors, nurses, EMT’s, firefighters, policemen and women, hospital workers…all the people who have lost their lives to save others during the Coronavirus Pandemic, fighting a war against an unseen and more deadly enemy.

This May 25, 2020, let’s honor our country’s war dead and these COVID-19 heroes by the symbolic wearing of poppies. This tradition goes back to one of nature’s phenomena that occurred in war-torn battlefields during World War I, where the red field poppy (papaver rhoeas) was one of the first plants to grow. Its seeds scattered in the wind and sat dormant in the ground, only germinating when the ground was disturbed—as it was by the brutal fighting.

The practice of wearing poppies was further inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written in 1915 by Canadian soldier John McCrae when he saw the poppies in burials around his artillery position in Belgium.

Here is an excerpt from “In Flanders Fields,” by John McCrae, May 1915:

 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.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields...

The torch; be yours to hold it high...

Today, poppies are both a symbol of loss of life and a symbol of recovery and new life, as we care for our servicemen damaged physically or emotionally and those who have been stricken by the coronavirus.

Please join us in honoring them all.  

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Happy Birthday, Chris. You are our hero! Miss you ever so much, every day!

A MESSAGE TO OUR 2020 GRADUATES

The whole world is on pause right now, a truly an unprecedented time in all of our lives.

You have been asked to forgo the formal celebration of your graduation.  It’s a big disappointment for sure.

But when life serves you setbacks, the important thing to focus on is that you may not be able to control what happens, but you can control your reaction. You can choose how you will respond. Here are a few other things you can choose:

Choose to be JOYFUL - even in the midst of setbacks. Don’t let anyone steal your joy.

Choose to be GRATEFUL- greet every day with a ritual of gratitude for all your blessings.

Choose to be ETHICAL - even when you’re surrounded by others who are not.

Choose to be OPTIMISTIC  -  always look for the silver lining…

“Look for the silver lining,

Whenever a cloud appears in the blue.

Remember somewhere the sun is shining

 And so, the right thing to do is make it shine for you!

A heart full of joy and gladness,

Will always banish sadness and strife.

So always look for the silver lining,

And find the sunny side of life!” *

*This song was written during the Influenza Pandemic, 1918-1919 , by Jerome Kern and BG Sylva.

A PRAYER FOR THIS MOTHER'S DAY

We thank You God, for our mothers: the ones who gave us life, the ones who chose us through adoption and foster care, and all the unofficial mothers in our lives, who are a strong and compassionate presence and source of support and wisdom.

We remember the love with which they cared for us when we were most vulnerable; the tears they dried and fears they soothed when we were troubled; the encouragement they offered when we had little faith in ourselves; the guidance they provided when we felt lost; the worries they endured when we were growing up; the strength it took to hold us close, yet let us fly.

We pray that our mothers who are no longer with us are embraced by Your love; that future mothers, expectant mothers and new mothers experience the joys that come from caring for a child and putting his or her needs ahead of their own, even when the sacrifices seem challenging; that our mothers who are still living experience Your enduring and ever present love through the appreciation and gratitude that we, their children, show them not just on this day, but honor them throughout the years.

We ask You during this global pandemic, to keep our mothers and all our family members safe and sound.  We pray not to be consumed by fear, but act with prudence in all we do and be aware that everything we do also affects others.  Help us to do what is right for the greater good - to keep everyone safe, stop the spread of this coronavirus and bring us all together soon.  AMEN 

Source: Three Minutes a Day, The Christophers, Volume 48.

Wishing every mom out there a very Happy Mother's Day!