Poppies

Ask any Canadian over the age of five about poppies, and you will hear about Flanders Fields, war, and Remembrance Day.
From the end of October, pin-on poppies sprout from lapels in memory of the war dead, and you can get them from veterans and cadets at malls and grocery stores for a donation to the Canadian Legion. I suspect, however, that most children (and maybe some adults) wouldn't know a real poppy if they came upon it in a garden.

I went to the local cenotaph today to see the wreaths laid in this morning's ceremony. Poppies were everywhere. I remember being slightly surprised, when traveling in France and Belgium, to see all the poppies growing wild by the roadside. They really are a symbol of the European killing fields and of all the cemeteries where Canadian soldiers are buried.

Remembrance Day is one of the most significant holidays for me. I always make sure my students know about historic events, such as the Battle of Vimy Ridge in World War I (did you know that there is a little piece of Canada in France?), and my boys have been well versed in Canadian military history. We visited war sites in northern France, and I stood and cried at the graves of forgotten young men . Take time to remember soldiers then and now.