This Saturday morning, while packing to head off for a night of trick or treating with our grandbabies, my task was interrupted by a knock on my door. My head caught up in the whole celebration that is Halloween, I was somewhat nonplussed when I first saw who was standing on my porch. It was a young person dressed in uniform, a local Cadet.
It took me just a half second, of course, to swing my thinking around recognize that Remembrance Day, the time to remember the heroes who have fought for our freedom, wasn’t that far off and the annual poppy canvass was under way.
Sporting a poppy over our heart is the very least we can do to never forget them. Having made my donation, I stuck it on my jacket, where it will remain until the Nov. 11 service at our cenotaph, then headed back to the task at hand.
Later, that evening as I was getting my three-year-old granddaughter bundled up for our official Halloween start she noticed the pretty red flower pinned on my jacket. It was, I explained, a poppy. Her tender years precluded her from understanding any significance other than it was “So beautiful.”
Some day, however, in the not-do-distant future, she will sadly come to understand that the world isn’t a perfect place, that people have fought and died so that she can enjoy all the wonderful pleasures she has. Including, I suppose, the fun of Halloween.
In recognition of the sacrifices, the selflessness. I have included here some collections of poppy clipart:
