Nov. 11, 2026
On this Remembrance Day, let us reflect on all the brave souls who perished in war, who selflessly work to defend our freedom and who have allowed us all to live in this great country; free from war and who have defended our right to live the blessed lives that we live.
In Flanders Fields
John McCrae
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.
In April 1915, McCrae was stationed in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium, in an area known as Flanders, during the bloody Second Battle of Ypres. In the midst of the tragic warfare, McCrae’s friend, twenty-two-year-old Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed by artillery fire and buried in a makeshift grave. The following day,
McCrae, after seeing the field of makeshift graves blooming with wild poppies, wrote his famous poem “In Flanders Fields,” which would be the second-to-last poem he would ever write.
Soon after writing “In Flanders Fields,” McCrae was transferred to a hospital in France, where he was named the chief of medical services. Saddened and disillusioned by the war, McCrae found respite in writing letters and poetry, and wrote his final poem, “The Anxious Dead.” In the summer of 1917, McCrae’s health took a turn, and he began suffering from severe asthma attacks and bronchitis. McCrae died of pneumonia and meningitis on January 28, 1918.
Here are 3 Remembrance Day Videos that you may want to view on YouTube
The Poppies Remember:https://youtu.be/mMNP7ZVqGEY?si=JhPKVLSEG6_DJfoH
Soldiers Cry by Roland Majeau: https://youtu.be/YQ7z_eANAP4?si=JB992STnAsBPs2pg
A Pittance of Time: Terry Kelly: https://youtu.be/2kX_3y3u5Uo?si=BUSNZFfN9pPWNUvR
Unless You’ve Been a Soldier
By Clive Sanders
(As read by Brenda Nash last Sunday)
Unless you’ve been a soldier,
You just won’t understand.
The things that we have seen and done,
In the service of our land.
We have trained to live in combat,
To cope with awful sights,
That shouldn’t be seen by anyone
And keep you awake at nights.
We don’t discuss the wounds we have,
To the body or the mind.
We just put our hurts behind us,
And turn our memories to blind.
We are proud we served our country,
And remember those we lost.
For the freedom that you have today,
They paid the awful cost.