Good Morning Brown Clee!

How did you get on with developing your ‘Attitude for Gratitude’ yesterday?  Did you do or say anything to demonstrate your appreciation – and if so how did it make you feel?

This is the time of year when we show gratitude for the sacrifice that so many people made during World War 1 and 2, as well as appreciating the service of the men and women in the armed forces today, who strive to keep the world a safe place for all.

Tomorrow is Armistice Day – the 11th day of the 11th month, and at the 11th hour we will hold a 2 minute silence to remember and pay tribute to the men and women who sacrificed their lives during the 1st and 2nd World War, and also to appreciate the members of the armed forces  of today, who serve to defend our nation. It is so important that we never forget, and that we are thankful for the sacrifice that so many people made.

It is at this time of year that you will see many people wearing a poppy – because the poppy has come to symbolise Armistice Day, and the gratitude and appreciation we have for those that fought so that we could live in a free world.  But why a poppy?

Watch this video and see if you can work out why?

During WW1, much of the fighting took place in Western Europe. The countryside was blasted, bombed and fought over repeatedly. Previously beautiful landscapes turned to mud; bleak and barren scenes where little or nothing could grow. But there was a notable and striking exception to the bleakness – the bright red Flanders poppies. These resilient flowers flourished in the middle of so much chaos and destruction, growing in the thousands upon thousands.  So much so that they were noticed by one particular soldier, a Canadian doctor called Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, who wrote this now very famous poem, called ‘In Flanders Fields’.

So now people choose to wear a poppy around 11th November as a sign of remembrance and gratitude.  Take a quiet moment now, and close your eyes – what must it have been like to have been a soldier fighting in the fields in France and Belgium – what would the world be like now if those brave men and women hadn’t fought for our freedom – and tomorrow, at 11am, when we hold our 2 minutes of silence, think about how thankful we are.

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Thank you for the many happy memories that we have.
We are sorry that some people have sad memories at this time of year
As they remember those who have died for our country.
May we wear our red poppies with love and compassion,
And may we remember and be thankful.
Amen.