Wednesday 11 November 2009

Remembrance Day... the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

Taken from Patience Strong's "Thoughts For Every Day" - a unique collection of inspirational verse and prose to touch the heart...


"That Others Might Live"


He gave the greatest gift of all, the gift of his unfinished life.  That was the measure of his faith.  He did not flinch from fire and strife, but plunged into the heat of battle, giving all he had to give.  Offering his sacrifice that others might be free to live.


He was young and tender-hearted, loving peace and peaceful ways - wanting only fun and friendship, laughter, life and happy days.  But he knew the price of freedom, wise beyond his meagre years - knowing what the cost would be in blood and sorrow, toil and tears.


One of England's best and bravest, we salute his memory.  To him and to his kind we owe our hope, our life, our liberty.


"Remember Them"


I known and unknown graves they rest,
The young, the bravest and the best,
They too loved well what life could give
And yet they died that we might live.
Twice in half a hundred years
The price was paid in blood and tears,
Twice we faced the German threat
Twice the challenge has been met.
Let not Memory's lamp burn low.
As generations come and go
Sing out their glorious requiem.
Remember them,
Remember them.


The following is a sonnet by Rupert Brooke entitled "The Soldier"...





If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.


Rest in peace to those who fought for this country, this country's people and this country's freedom - we will NEVER forget you...

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Midweek randomness

Hello - well, I do hope to update a lot more... I've had a crazy, crazy few weeks and life is one massive rollercoaster.  To the future!

Wednesday 16 September 2009