Thanks and Honours to Our Soldiers...Nov 11 2012

John McCrae was a poet and physician from Guelph, Ontario. He developed an interest in poetry at a young age and wrote throughout his life.[1] His earliest works were published in the mid 1890s in Canadian magazines and newspapers.[2] McCrae's poetry often focused on death and the peace that followed.[3] At the age of 41, McCrae enrolled with the Canadian Expeditionary Force following the outbreak of the First World War. He had the option of joining the medical corps due to his training and age, but volunteered instead to join a fighting unit as a gunner and medical officer.[4] It was his second tour of duty in the Canadian military. He previously fought with a volunteer force in the Second Boer War.[5] He considered himself a soldier first; his father was a military leader in Guelph and McCrae grew up believing in the duty of fighting for his country and empire.[6] McCrae fought in the second battle of Ypres in the Flanders region of Belgium where the German army launched one of the first chemical attacks in the history of war. They attacked the Canadian position with chlorine gas on April 22, 1915, but were unable to break through the Canadian line which held for over two weeks. In a letter written to his mother, McCrae described the battle as a "nightmare": "For seventeen days and seventeen nights none of us have had our clothes off, nor our boots even, except occasionally. In all that time while I was awake, gunfire and rifle fire never ceased for sixty seconds ..... And behind it all was the constant background of the sights of the dead, the wounded, the maimed, and a terrible anxiety lest the line should give way."[7] Alexis Helmer, a close friend, was killed during the battle on May 2. McCrae performed the burial service himself, at which time he noted how poppies quickly grew around the graves of those who died at Ypres. The next day, he composed the poem while sitting in the back of an ambulance.[8]

today, this day of nov 11 2012 we pay homage to the brave men and women who fought for our freedom, many at the cost of their own lives...how can we ever thank them enough?...how can we not have this special day, set aside to remember them? we honour the brave american soldiers too and we pray for them all in both countries...god bless america and god bless canada!

Saying So Long For Now to Ruby Tuesday Scarf Sisters and the USA

sunday morning on a damp cool day betty and i were saying so long to our precious scarf sisters, having spent four days with christian ladies that are truly the salt of the earth..here is betty and our dear sister trish who is a michigan gal. she just loves to fill her ford with gas and keep on trucking for the lord!...oh and she also likes to have oil in her lamp and keep on burning for the lord!

here is mrs. mac, the creator of the traveling scarf siters...she is tiny but she has a huge heart and i guess i must say, eh? a huge amount of luggage to take back to idaho.

as one of the sisters said about this picture, we are not playing ring around the rosy, we were hand in hand in a cirle singing one of our sisterhood songs, "father abraham...let's all praise the lord!"...one of the last songs we sang before we left our lodge.

betty gives sweet donna a ruby tuesday hug on this damp sunday morning!

"and now girls, it is time to hit the road!"..did i mention that mrs. mac is not only the snow queen of idaho, but she is also a party pooper?...not one of us girls WANTED to hit the road..we all wanted to STAY!!

aw but didn't mrs. mac have such great plans for us?...instead of going to macDonalds' for a last meal, she was at the door to greet us to a super good restaurant for a delicious breakfast!

and what a lovely meal we had and wonderful fellowship!.....miss patty,cyndi our own barbie doll, and sara,....

mrs. mac, amy, jada gigi and donna....

yours' truly, becky,and trish, ....

deb, rachel, betty,and diane.....margie had left earlier to go home to do the many kind things she does for everyone she comes in contact with! so altogether there had been 15 sisters living under one roof for four days and i must say that it was fun and happy and boisterous at times, and all of the time there was the feeling that the lord was always there with us and there was singing and praising and ha!.lots of eating and lots of walking down a curved country road ...oh it was sooooo good!..except for poor miss patty who had a fly swatter handy at all times to squash the many flies!...and also the many sisters who snored during the night without even KNOWING they were!!

well it is out of a door one more time, and this time it is the last that we will see each other for a while...

i am so glad that many of the sisters were dressed in red, because i had promised the magical teacher that i would be doing a ruby tuesday post especially for her...

way too sad that it has been over two weeks that i have kept my promise!

i took one more picture as we left the restaurant of these beautiful autumn michigan leaves..oh did i tell you about the wonderful drive that miss patty took us on, along the michigan roads to see the loveliness of the fall trees?...it was also sooooo good!

a kind man took this picture of betty and i just before we would be reaching the usa and canada border.

and so so long for now dear michigan and the united states....we had such a lovely time and if the lord wills it, we will return in 11 months again!....but if we never meet again this side of heaven, we shall meet on that beautiful shore!... happy ruby tuesday dear ones and may the lord richly bless you as he has blessed my sisters and me....love terry