Telling the Story...
...He limped over to me reaching out to press a small silk poppy into my hand. The man was wearing a hat that showed the world he was a veteran that who had served in the U.S. Army. I was delighted to be given that small flower. It had been many years since I had seen the veterans handing out the gentle reminder of those who made the sacrifice for our freedom.
Throughout my childhood I can remember seeing the poppies everywhere. People gladly accepted the flowers and proudly displayed them in support of our veterans. Back then, in the 50's and early 60's, the poppies were made of paper. I can remember thinking about how each poppy had to be assembled by hand. Visions of entire factories of people creating thousands of paper lowers filled my mind. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but after many years I noticed that there seemed to be no poppies around on Veteran's Day. What happened to the poppies? Had somebody missed the day, or had the shipments of poppies gotten lost somehow? No one had an answer for me, and many had not even noticed the absence of poppies. For literally decades I had not seen the Veteran's Day poppies anywhere. I'd like to think I was just missing being in the right place to catch a poppy. As the next generations came along I mentioned the poppies to them. They had no idea what I was talking about. Their question to me was, "Why would anyone hand out poppies to people?" Each time the question was asked, I told the story of the Veteran's Day poppies. Even in today's society of high tech self-absorption today's youth have paused in wonder as I told the story. As I sported my precious poppy I was expecting to be asked about the flower on my lapel, but that never happened. Sadly, I suspect that many did not even know the question to ask.
For those who do not know the story of the Veteran's Day poppy, here it is, told from my, granted, fuzzy memory. At the end of World War I the many fallen solders were buried in a massive burial site named Flanders Field. Covered with hundreds of small crosses the burial ground was a bleak reminder of the sad harvest of a futile war. Eventually poppy seeds were scattered across the area and small red poppies began to blossom filling the ground with a sea of red. The deep red of the poppies was a reminder of the blood that was shed during the war. And since that time the Veterans of Foreign wars have made it their mission to remind all Americans to take a reverent moment to honor and remember all brave American veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.
Many cultures in the world have a tradition of passing oral history among their people. Our own Native Americns very wisely still pass their stories to each generation in order to retain their cultural identity. It is important to tell the stories of our history. With passing the torch to the next generation comes wisdom. It is up to us to help our youth to not make the same mistakes if possible. Those who take the time to listen will one day become the leaders of a geneation. Tell the story...even if it is something as humble as the story of a paper poppy...
Throughout my childhood I can remember seeing the poppies everywhere. People gladly accepted the flowers and proudly displayed them in support of our veterans. Back then, in the 50's and early 60's, the poppies were made of paper. I can remember thinking about how each poppy had to be assembled by hand. Visions of entire factories of people creating thousands of paper lowers filled my mind. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but after many years I noticed that there seemed to be no poppies around on Veteran's Day. What happened to the poppies? Had somebody missed the day, or had the shipments of poppies gotten lost somehow? No one had an answer for me, and many had not even noticed the absence of poppies. For literally decades I had not seen the Veteran's Day poppies anywhere. I'd like to think I was just missing being in the right place to catch a poppy. As the next generations came along I mentioned the poppies to them. They had no idea what I was talking about. Their question to me was, "Why would anyone hand out poppies to people?" Each time the question was asked, I told the story of the Veteran's Day poppies. Even in today's society of high tech self-absorption today's youth have paused in wonder as I told the story. As I sported my precious poppy I was expecting to be asked about the flower on my lapel, but that never happened. Sadly, I suspect that many did not even know the question to ask.
For those who do not know the story of the Veteran's Day poppy, here it is, told from my, granted, fuzzy memory. At the end of World War I the many fallen solders were buried in a massive burial site named Flanders Field. Covered with hundreds of small crosses the burial ground was a bleak reminder of the sad harvest of a futile war. Eventually poppy seeds were scattered across the area and small red poppies began to blossom filling the ground with a sea of red. The deep red of the poppies was a reminder of the blood that was shed during the war. And since that time the Veterans of Foreign wars have made it their mission to remind all Americans to take a reverent moment to honor and remember all brave American veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.
Many cultures in the world have a tradition of passing oral history among their people. Our own Native Americns very wisely still pass their stories to each generation in order to retain their cultural identity. It is important to tell the stories of our history. With passing the torch to the next generation comes wisdom. It is up to us to help our youth to not make the same mistakes if possible. Those who take the time to listen will one day become the leaders of a geneation. Tell the story...even if it is something as humble as the story of a paper poppy...
This is a very good story to keep alive. I really don't see many poppies anymore. We all used to wear them and proudly, you were weird if you didn't have one pinned to your collar or hat or purse. Thanks for keeping the story alive... It's important.
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