On November 11 Canadians wear Poppies and gather at war memorials across Canada to pay tribute to those who died in war. At the 11th
hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the time the Armistice of World War I
was signed in 1918, we observe two minutes of silence to remember.
As we continue to fight the war on terrorism, it is important to remember and
teach about the wars in which so many Canadians died.
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915
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.
Special memories of my sister and of my father-in-law for the roles they played in the wars. I will always remember them with love.
Posted at 2008-11-09 22:53:58 PST(UTC-8H) |
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Try
looking at tomorrow, not yesterday, and all the things you left behind all
those tender words you did not say the gentle touch you couldn't find In
these days of nameless faces there's no one truth, but only pieces my life
is all I have to give Dare to live! Until the very last Dare to live!
Forget about the past Dare to live! Giving something of yourself to
others Even when it seems there is nothing more left to
give
Ma se tu vedessi l'uomo davanti al tuo portone che
dorme avvolto in un car-tone se tu ascoltassi il mondo una mattina senza
il rumore della pioggia Tu che puoi creare con la tua voce tu pensi i
pensieri della gente poi di dio c'è solo Dio
Vivere nessuno mai ce
l'ha insegnato vivere non si può vivere senza passato vivere è bello anche
se non l'hai chiesto mai una canzone ci sarà qualcuno che la
canterà
Dare to live! Searching for that one true
love Perché perché perché perché non vivi questa sera Dare to live! You know what
I'm talking of Perché perché perché perché non vivi ora Dare to live! Until the very last Perché perché
perché la vita non è vita Your life is all you have
to give perché non l'hai
vissuta Vivere Dare to live! Until the very
last Perché perché perché la vita non è vita Your life is all you have to give Perché non l'hai vissuta mai I will say no I will say yes Say
dare to live! Dare to
live!
Posted at 2008-10-15 00:43:29 PST(UTC-8H) Comments(0) | Permanent link
In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in
October. The origin and history of Thanksgiving Day in Canada is different from
the American Thanksgiving. Whereas the American tradition talks about
remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a
successful harvest. The geographical location of Canada is further north as
compared to the United States therefore the harvest season falls earlier in
Canada.
In Canada Thanksgiving 2008 will be celebrated on second Monday
in October - 13th October 2008.
History and Origin of Canadian
Thanksgiving
There are three traditions behind Canadian
Thanksgiving Day:
1. The farmers in Europe held celebrations at
the time of harvesting to give thanks for their good fortune of a bountiful
harvest and abundance of food. The farmers would fill a goat's curved horn with
fruits and grains. This curved horn was known as a cornucopia or the horn of
plenty. It is believed that when the European farmers came to Canada they
brought this tradition of Thanksgiving with them.
2. The history
of Thanksgiving in Canada is related to Martin Frobisher, who was an English
navigator. He made a lot of efforts to find a northern passage to the Orient.
Though he did not succeed in his efforts but he was able to establish a
settlement in Northern America. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in
what is now known as Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long
journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Martin Frobisher
was later knighted and an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada was
named as ' Frobisher Bay' after him. When other settlers arrived here
they continued this ceremony of giving thanks.
3. The third
influence occurred in 1621 in what is now the United States. Here the pilgrims,
who were the English colonists, celebrated their first harvest in the New World
at Plymouth Massachusetts. By the 1750s this celebration of harvest was brought
to Nova Scotia by American settlers from the south.
In the 1600s,
another navigator Samuel de Champlain crossed the ocean and arrived to Canada.
Other French Settlers also came with him and their group held huge feasts of
thanks for the harvests. On this event they shared their food with the Native
American neighbors and thus involved them in their celebrations. Then they
formed ' The Order of Good Cheer' which marked the harvests and other
events as well.
After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens
of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.
During the American
Revolution the Americans who remained loyal to England moved to Canada. They
brought with themselves the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving
to Canada.
In 1879, the Parliament declared 6th day of November as the
day of Thanksgiving and also declared it a national holiday. Over the years
different dates were used for celebrating the Thanksgiving Day in Canada but the
most popular date was the 3rd Monday of October.
After World War I, both
Armistice Day and Thanksgiving Day were celebrated on a common day that was
Monday of the week in which fell the 11th day of November. Ten years later, in
1931, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving Day became separate holidays and
Armistice Day was renamed as the 'Remembrance Day'.
Finally, on January
31st, 1957, the Parliament issued a proclamation to fix permanently the 2nd
Monday in October as the Thanksgiving Day. The Proclamation goes as...
"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful
harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday
in October…"
Posted at 2008-10-11 13:46:21 PST(UTC-8H) Comments(0) | Permanent link
THE PRAYER D. Foster / C. Bayer Sager / A. Testa / T. Renis
I pray you’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go And help us to be wise, in times when we don’t know Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace To a place where we’ll be safe.
La luce che tu dai I pray we’ll find your
light Nel cuore resterà And hold it in our
hearts A ricordarci che When stars go out each
night L’eterna stella sei Nella mia preghiera Let this be our prayer Quanta fede c’è When shadows fill our day Lead us to a place Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
Sognamo un mondo
senza più violenza Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza Ognuno dia la mano
al suo vicino Simbolo di pace e di fraternità
La forza che ci dia We ask that life be
kind È il desiderio che And watch us from
above Ognuno trovi amor We hope each soul will
find Intorno e dentro a sè Another soul to
love Let this be our prayer Let this be our prayer Just like every child Just like every child
Need to find a place, guide us with your
grace Give us faith so we’ll be safe E la fede che Hai acceso in
our eyes, and watch us where we go And help us to be wise, in times
when we don’t know Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way Lead
us to the place, guide us with your grace To a place where we’ll be
safe.
The light that you give us I pray we’ll find your
light Will stay in our hearts And hold it in
our hearts Reminding us When stars go out each
night You are the everlasting star In my prayer Let this be our prayer There’s so much faith When shadows fill our day Lead us to a place Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe We dream of a
world with no more violence A world of justice and hope Grasp you
neighbor’s hand As a symbol of peace and brotherhood
The strength that you give us We ask that life be
kind Is the wish And watch us from
above That everyone may find love We hope each
soul will find In and around himself Another
soul to love Let this be our
prayer Let this be our prayer Just like
every child Just like every child
Need to find a place, guide us with your
grace Give us faith so we’ll be safe And the faith that You’ve lit
inside us I feel will save us
Posted at 2008-09-29 11:44:38 PST(UTC-8H) Comments(0) | Permanent link
It’s been the
longest winter without you I didn’t know where to turn to See somehow I
can’t forget you After all that we’ve been through
Going coming thought I heard a knock Who’s there no
one Thinking that I deserve it Now I realize that I really didn’t
know If you didn’t notice you mean everything Quickly I’m learning to love
again All I know is I’m going be ok
[Chorus:] Thought I
couldn’t live without you It’s gonna hurt when it heals too It’ll all get
better in time And even though I really love you I’m
gonna smile cause I deserve to It’ll all get better in time
I couldn’t turn on the TV Without
something there to remind me Was it all that easy To just put aside your
feelings
If I’m dreaming don’t wanna laugh Hurt my feelings
but that’s the path I believe in And I know that time will heal it If
you didn’t notice boy you meant everything Quickly I’m learning to love
again All I know is I’m goin’ be ok
[Chorus:] Thought I
couldn’t live without you It’s gonna hurt when it heals too It’ll all get
better in time And even though I really love you I’m gonna smile cause I
deserve to It’ll all get better in time
Since there’s no more you and me It’s time I let you
go So I can be free And live my life how it should be No matter how
hard it is I’ll be fine without you Yes I will
[Chorus: X2] Thought I
couldn’t live without you It’s gonna hurt when it heals too It’ll all get
better in time And even though I really love you I’m gonna smile cause I
deserve to It’ll all get better in time
Posted at 2008-09-25 11:24:30 PST(UTC-8H) Comments(0) | Permanent link
A hug is a wonderful gift to share, A way to show each other that we care; There is so much a hug is able to do, When you feel those arms holding you.
A hug is a place to feel safe and warm, A comfort for a sad heart that is torn; An expression of the love in our heart, For ones who we wish, never to be apart.
A hug is a greeting when we meet to say hello, Or to say goodbye when we have to go; It can hold us up when life gets us down, And makes us smile, instead of frown.
A hug can be given for no reason at all, And given to those, both big and small; We're never too old to feel the joy it brings, As it is one of life's most pleasing things.
And for all of this beauty, a hug is free! It costs nothing, yet means so much to me; We should all hug another to show we care, For to feel a warm hug, nothing can compare.
Posted at 2008-09-23 09:48:53 PST(UTC-8H) Comments(0) | Permanent link
Won't you travel with me on the highway of life? Down the
road of Forgive and Forget That leads to the Land of Beginning Again Where
old friends are better friends yet.
I wish that there were some wonderful place Called the Land of Beginning
Again Where all of our mistakes, and all of our heartaches, And all of our
poor, selfish grief Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the
door And never be put on again.
I wish we might come on it all unaware, Like a hunter who finds a lost
trail And I wish that the one whom our blindness had done The greatest
injustice of all, Could be at the gates like an old friend Who waits for
the comrade he's gladdest to hail?
We'd find all the things we intended to do But forgot and remembered too
late Little praises unspoken, little promises broken, And all the thousand
and one little duties neglected That might have perfected the day for one
less fortunate.
It wouldn't be possible not to be kind in that Land of Beginning
again For the ones we misjudged, and the ones we grudged Their moments of
victory here Would find in the grasp of our loving hand clasp More than
penitent lip could explain.
And what had seemed hardest, we'd find had been best, And what had seemed
loss, had been gain. For there isn't a thing that will not take wing If
you face it and laugh it away. And I think that the laughter is most what
we're after In that Land of Beginning Again
So I wish that there were some wonderful place Called the Land of
Beginning Again Where all of our mistakes and all of our heartaches And
all of our poor, selfish grief, Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at
the door And never be put on again.
~By Louise Fletcher Tarkington
Posted at 2008-09-05 22:47:30 PST(UTC-8H) Comments(0) | Permanent link
