Veterans Day Poppies

I remember little red poppies made of paper that people would wear when I was a little girl on Memorial Day. I didn't really know why they were used but did understand that their purpose was to remember veterans of the wars. Last night when I was watching the news, there was a very interesting story about an art installation in England that caused me to do some research on this topic as we celebrate Veterans Day today.

This poem that inspired the wearing of these little poppies was written by Colonel John Mc Crea who was a Canadian military physician in WWI. He noticed the red poppies blooming in battlefields in Flanders. Two ladies who were very touched by the poem, started to sell paper poppies to raise money for the veterans....Anna Guein of France and Moina Michael of Georgia. In 1922, the little red poppy became the official memorial flower in America.

Here's the entire poem...

This is the 100th year anniversary of the beginning of WWI in England. That's the reason for this Tower of London project.

Artist Paul Cummins designs the red ceramic poppies and set designer Tom Pipers put it together at the Tower of London.  The project is called BLOOD SWEPT LANDS AND SEAS OF RED and is made up of 886, 246 red ceramic flowers remembering each person who died during the First World War. It is amazing to see all those lives represented by a red poppy in one place.

I don't think I will ever look at a poppy without thinking about this Veterans Day and these red poppies. What a wonderful memorial and yet, this is just one country. It is quite sobering when you think of all the other countries that lost their citizens to war...the first WW and all the conflicts that have happened since. Take time today to be thankful for all of those people who gave their lives for our country and for us.