reflecting

This is a tough day for me. Perhaps you struggle too? 

I sit on the knife edge of honoring veterans and abhorring war. (My dad was a proud Marine whose artistic skills (perversely) created training materials that supported troops in Korea. He requested that an honor guard serve at his internment. I could not tolerate the rifle salute and I still remember it as an intrusion on that day).

So I make room for reflection today.

Melissa at Tiny Happy had a tutorial for crafting a white poppy pin on her blog years ago. You can find it here. It is a peaceful alternative to the traditional red poppy. It was easy to stitch. 

I support Veterans For Peace and the work they do to “build a culture of peace by using our experiences and lifting our voices.” Their “Reclaiming Armistice Day” is about “pushing the celebration of peace into the national conversation on Veterans Day”. 

And the work of the American Friends Service Committee merits consideration as a cause to support, too. 

And then there is this quote that rings with truth...
"Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows." -MLK Jr. 🕊