Mr. Guy is home again tomorrow! Yay! He tells me that it is a holiday called Memorial Day. It is the day we remember all the people who have died in wars fighting to protect our country and our freedom.
I don’t like the idea of fighting and dying. But Mr Guy says sometimes bad people attack people and the people attacked have to fight to defend themselves. And sometimes people die fighting. I think it would be better if we all just lived peacefully. But I understand what Mr Guy means. I know I would fight if someone attacked The Lady, Mr Guy, Offspring 1 or Offspring 2.
The Lady and Mr Guy took me to Liberty Plaza today. Liberty Plaza is a big park that is near where we live.
It is a place to created especially to remember all those people who died, or who fought and did not die, protecting our country’s freedom. Mr Guy told me there are people still serving and fighting in places all over the world. We should always remember them too and keep them in our prayers.
Liberty Plaza is a pretty place. There is a big American flag…
…and a couple of special statues.
One of the statues made me a little sad. My eyes got blurry because of the rain on the outside and maybe a little because of rain that was coming from my eyes.
The statue was of a little boy holding and American flag perfectly folded in a triangle with the stars on the outside. I recognized that flag. When The Captain died, The Lady got a flag just like that so I knew that it meant that that little boy’s father or mother was killed in a war.
We have two folded flags at our house – The Captain’s and Mr. Guy’s father’s. I’m glad that we have them. They remind me every day to say a special prayer for all of our armed services men and women.
The other statue is of a veteran from World War I.
He has poppies in his hand. These help him to remember all of his comrades with whom he served, but did not come home. When we got home, The Lady and Mr. Guy read this poem to me; it tells the story of the poppies.
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.
– Colonel John McCrae
That is a lot for a little blue and orange furry monster to think about.
Mostly Liberty Plaza is a quiet place where we can go to think about and say “thank you” to all those people who have given their lives in the service of our country.
It was raining today, so we did not get to spend much time just sitting, but I’m glad that we went.
