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Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose. .... Tom Krause I love feeling like this .... -
"When the world says, "Give up," hope whispers, "Try it one more time." .... Anonymous Fall is fast approaching ... -
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No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another. .... Charles Dickens I have not posted for quite some time. I'v... -
There are times when just sitting quietly, listening to the sound of the waves gently caressing the shore is as close to serenity as you can... -
"If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is 'thank you', that would suffice." .... Meister Eckhart Today is ... -
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Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Glory Theirs, The Duty Ours ...
1:01 PM | 
Posted by
~Visions~ |
 |
| Marcel Prudhomme |
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.
.... John McCrae
Today ... Remembrance Day ... nations gather to remember the fragility of life and the ultimate sacrifice made by the many, so that we could live in peace and freedom.
I grew up hearing stories from my grandmother of the many hardships my family had to endure, in France, during both World Wars. No one escaped the horrors and suffering. She lost many of her siblings, and other family members, in the course of these wars. I remember the pain etched on her face as she recalled the past and loved ones lost. She often talked of my grandfather, who served in the French army. He ended being sent to a German POW camp during WWI, and times were so difficult, he had to eat rats in order to survive.
My father was a young teen when WWII broke out. I remember the faraway look in his eyes when he told me how he was conscripted to work in mines, while helping, in secret, the French Resistance.
My mother’s brother, my uncle, served during WWII with the Canadian army. And though I never met him, I’ve been told he fought with the Royal 22nd Regiment: Canada's famed Fighting 'Van Doos'.
Today, and every November 11th, I make a point to remember them. I wear my poppy proudly, and fight back tears as I tell my children about those who fought so they wouldn’t have to. I have been fortunate. My kids have been fortunate. We live where freedom is a right and war is an unknown.
I lived in Petawawa, one of Canada’s largest army bases, for a few years, as a young bride. It is where my eldest daughter was born. Many of my friends were in the military, and though Canada’s role back then was more of a peacekeeping nature, I know the sacrifices they were making even then. I saw families separated for months on end, so that we could help nations in far off places. Our role today has increased, but our mission remains the same -- to assist those that have asked for our help.
Today, as we go about our daily lives, and enjoy the many luxuries we have, we need to remember, not just on this day, but each and every day, that some of our finest men and woman are waking up in a world a million miles away from our own reality. The lucky ones come home and resume their lives with family and friends. Others come home, broken in body and spirit. Others never come home and leave a legacy of tears.
Let us continue to support our veterans and all those who proudly serve this great country of ours, now and in the future.
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Sunday, November 7, 2010
Kick it to the Curb!
.... Phyllis Diller
Phew! October is over. Breast Cancer awareness month. I really don’t want to made aware. I am more aware than I ever wanted to be. But just when I thought I could forget about the *C* word ... November comes along. More cancer awareness.
Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the attention we’re giving to this dreadful DIS-ease. But I want to know more than just about the treatments. I want a cure. I want to know WHAT causes it. I want it stopped. I don’t just want to be aware.
This is not something where you can just get it, and then be free. It changes your life. It changes everything. Forever.
I don’t have the luxury of looking forward to retirement in peace. I hope I get there. But my concerns are whether I’ll make it to this spring. Or to see my son graduate high school. Or to hold my first grandbaby. I sometimes feel like the little engine that could ... I think I can ... I think I can ... I think I can!
And it doesn’t just affect me. It affects everyone. My son doesn’t remember a time when I was just ME. I used to be so active and strong and full of pep. Since he’s been six, he’s seen me bald and crying and hurting. My girls? Well, they’ve had to watch this too and wonder ... will they get the same sentence?
I saw a news report the other day where someone was marketing a t-shirt that said F*ck Cancer. Well that’s what I say. Give it the finger. It doesn’t belong to me. I don’t want the ‘gift’!! I’m returning it.
Thanks for all the awareness, but now we need to do more than just stand up and fight. We need to kick cancer to the curb!
Friday, November 5, 2010
On the Inside Looking Out ...
You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.
.... Jack London
So, I’ve embarked on a bit of a fun ride, for now. I’m literally escaping reality for a while and it feels good.
For the rest of this next month -- the next 25 days to be exact, I’ll be working furiously to finish my novel. If luck is with me, my manuscript will be ready to be shopped around before the new year.
Writing has always been an escape for me. It’s a place where I can create my own world and control the elements within it. Well ... most of the time. Sometimes characters have their own mind. However, unlike the real world, nothing is beyond my ability to change it.
I’m looking at more tests soon and I’m trying hard not to focus on it. Even though I’m getting better, there’s always that fear, that never-ending fear. And so, I’d rather retreat into a place I know: a place of my own making. As a result, this is a perfect time to retreat into never-neverland.
This is National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo for short. It’s a month where those crazy enough to take on the challenge find that their lives revolve around word counts, plots, characters and scenes. Everything else fades to black and for me, it’s a wonderful meditation.
This particular work-in-progress isn’t my tell-all story; I may tackle that one during the Script Frenzy in April. Although I've been told, from those who know my story, that it’ll have to be written as fiction. Few would believe my story was real.
And this book? It's a paranormal. Well ... I won’t give it away, but I’d be careful if someone whispered my name ...
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