From the Desk of Deacon Judy

November 11

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918, enemies laid down their arms with the armistice for the War to End All Wars.

Well, we know that wars continued. World War II followed World War I, and so many wars and conflicts have continued to this day.

November 11, formerly Armistice Day, now known as Veteran’s Day in the United States remembers all – living and dead - who have fought in the US Armed Services in these wars over the years. There are somewhere between 16-18 million veterans currently alive in the United States.

I was honored several years ago to participate in a Veteran’s Day service at American Village in Montevallo. I was asked to read the poem, In Flanders Fields, which captures the sacrifice of soldiers and the encouragement to serve. Flanders Field was a battlefield in Belgium of World War I, but symbolizes all the battlefields of that war.

In Flanders Fields, By John McCrae

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.

May God protect all who serve and have served our country. May we ever honor and remember the service of all. May we someday find a way to lay down our arms and live in peace.

May God’s perfect peace reign – in our hearts, in our nation, and in our world,

Judy Q