The torch; be yours to hold it high...

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.

to those who have fallen or who have lost.
- - John McCrae, May 1915

I find it so fitting that Veterans day falls in the month of November. I have always thought that this holiday is one of gratitude right up there with Thanksgiving. This year more then others I have felt rather emotional about the service that has been rendered down through the generations to provide what I enjoy today. What a legacy of dedication! I hope that I can show my thanks in the way I exercise my rights and freedoms, and in the way I teach my children to love their country. I hope today of all days we can recognize, regardless of what divides us, that we are all Americans.  Our idealism is the same whether on the left, right, tea room, or independant table. We are brothers and sisters, made such by these men and women who fought for their American family. I pray that those who have lost someone to battle will feel my love and appriciation for that sacrife, along with my neighbors and friends.