Saturday, May 24, 2014

Memorial Day

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.~~~~~~Take up our quarrel with the foe; To you from failing hands we throw~~~The torch; be yours to hold it high.~~~If ye break faith with us who die~~~We shall not sleep, though poppies grow~~~In Flanders fields.
                                                                                         ~Lieut.-Col. John McCrae

32 comments:

Z said...

I just watched THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER, which kind of echoes this very touching poem.
I love reading that and am glad I came by and could..thanks for posting it, Sue.

cube said...

I agree with Z, but I'd add that I wish I'd come by sooner.

sue hanes said...

Z - Thanks for stopping by. You are always welcome here.

sue hanes said...

Cube - I'm just glad you came by.
I love the words of this poem.
I just wish they weren't necessary.

cube said...

I love the words to the poem too, but, unfortunately, the world is filled with nasty, evil people. It's a bad thing that we have to have poems like that. Don't you think?

sue hanes said...

Cube - Yes - I totally agree that iti's too bad we have to have a poem like that. The world is a place where evil lies and the men and women who are brave enough to take on the challenge of ridding us of them are written about in this poem.

cube said...

And it's absolutely wonderful that we do have these men and women who step up... and I thank them for their service every day... not just once a year.

My point was that it's just awful that we have to have a poem like this at all. It's just very sad.

sue hanes said...

Cube - I remember our troops and their families in my prayers everyday.

It is sad that we have a poem like this. And what's also sad is that so many are badly wounded and disfigured.

What with the scandal about the VA hospitals - they aren't getting the care they deserve in some cases. More than we know.

cube said...

The VA scandal is disgraceful. More heads than Shinseki's should roll.

sue hanes said...

Cube - I hope they get to the bottom of the VA scandal but mostly I hope they do something to improve conditions.

cube said...

Improving the VA health delivery system is the least we can do for veterans. Alas, I worry that Obamacare will provide shoddy care for all of us.

Yikes, I got political, didn't I? Sorry for that. Sometimes I just can't help myself.

sue hanes said...

Cube - I'm with you on that one. I am saddened and shocked at some of the stories about how long it takes for some veterans to get medical care.

Get political all you want. I don't mind at all. I only want what is right for our country. If what you say is true then I am on your side.

cube said...

I'm all about what's best for our country. Yay! We agree on something political!

sue hanes said...

Cube - We probably agree on more political things that you know.
I just want what's best - like I said - and I know that conservatives want what's best. I believe liberals do too - but there is just too much polarization. Don't you agree?

sue hanes said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cube said...

I hope we agree more than we disagree because I think we both want what's best for the country and the country needs help right now.

I think the polarization arises because both sides don't agree on what's best for the country. Therein lies the rub.





sue hanes said...

Cube - We all agree that the soccer win over Ghana was good for the country. I was heartened by the different scenes of U.S.A. fans cheering the U.S. on. That win was good for us.

I just wish that we could agree more on what is good for our country. We could do it if we try.

cube said...

I loved seeing the cheering after the Ghana win, too. It's good to see a united USA. Portugal is next, I hope.

sue hanes said...

Cube - I plan to watch the Portugal/USA game. I hope we win.

I was surprised to see so many fans of the USA. They all had red white and blue things on. They even showed troops in Afghanistan cheering the team on.

I don't know how good Portugal is but maybe we can do it.

cube said...

Portugal is in Group of Death, meaning teams that are very hard to beat. Then again, so was Ghana and we beat them so there's hope for the USA team.

sue hanes said...

Cube - I know it is going to be a very hard game - but I hope the U.S. can do it. I hadn't heard the term Group of Death. Here's hoping that the U.S.A. can come through with a victory.

cube said...

A tie? That's what we got... a tie?
Seriously? I thought that Ronaldo guy was so hot until he hit that one shot... I was so mad. I don't care hot hot he is, I hate him now.

sue hanes said...

Cube - That was so sad that they got that last point. I was so upset. It was a pretty spectacular shot. We almost had it.

Now on to Germany. How good are they?

sue hanes said...

Are they in the Group of Death?

cube said...

Yes, Germany is a powerhouse. When we were assigned the teams we would have to face, we "lucked" out by being assigned a group of very powerful teams. There wasn't an easy one in the bunch, hence the name Group of Death.

sue hanes said...

Cube - I'm going to be watching the soccer match today between U.S. and Germany and hoping for the best for us.

cube said...

I followed the progress of the match on Drudge, but I didn't watch it.

I had a boyfriend long ago who was into soccer and we went to quite a few professional games. The highlight of those evenings was the excitement of the crowd and going out for dessert afterwards. It was never about watching the game for me. Just not exciting enough as actually playing the sport which I did in school.

Anyway, we lost today, but we're not out yet. I think the outcome of the next game is crucial for USA chances of winning the Cup. Cross your fingers.

sue hanes said...

Cube - The thing about soccer is that you have to watch it carefully or you will miss the goals. It can go on and on and then all of a sudden someone scores.

I have come to like soccer from watching the World Cup this year.

It is also quite a contact sport.
Injuries are common.

I plan to watch team U.S.A play Belgium on Tuesday. Good luck to them.

Isn't that the way it goes in high school - or was it high school you were talking about - not really watching the game.

cube said...

I played soccer in what we used to call junior high school back then... 7th, 8th, and 9th grade.

I was a stick, but very fast on my feet, and the big girls couldn't catch me.

Soccer is a fun sport to play, but, for me, boring to watch compared to a sport like football.

I will definitely pay attention to the score of the USA/Belgium game, but I probably won't watch it. I have paint to watch dry on Tuesday ;-)



sue hanes said...

Cube - It is true that soccer can be boring to watch - more so than football. But it is exciting when a goal is made before you know it.
I've gotten to enjoy it. Especially when the U.S. is playing - and winning.

What do you mean you have paint to watch dry?

I was never very athletic and never played soccer. We didn't have that sport when I was growning up.

cube said...

I must admit that I loved watching the USA win. We did better than expected.

Watching paint dry is just an expression that means something is boring. It was trying to make a little joke.

We played lots of different sports in middle school, icluding soccer.
I loved playing it because I was the kind of kid that loved to run. Later I switched to track, and then tennis.

sue hanes said...

Cube - I must admit that I didn't know what 'watching the paint dry' stood for. I thought you actaully painted something. duh

Track is a good one if you like to run. :]

It's all over for the USA. But Tim Howard came out on top.