“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord. – Isaiah 2:3-5
I have already shared some thoughts on today’s holiday in yesterday’s post, “Memorial Day and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil“.
Then, in church yesterday (and again with friends in the evening), we had some deep conversation around the subject, sharing how such sacrifice has interfaced with our own lives via memories, stories, and family histories.
Where have all the flowers gone?
My gut-level response to all these stories – from my great-uncle who was just a boy when he died in the trenches of World War One, to Rebekah’s uncle Pete who was killed in the North Atlantic during World War Two, to my friend Bernie’s heart-wrenching recollection of visiting his friends’ markers on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, to one more flag-draped coffin flown home from Afghanistan, anonymous to me but world-splintering grief to the soldier’s family – is that of deep sadness and massive incredulity at the mess we continue to make of this world.
So today I am posting a few photographs of the blooms beginning to come out in our garden. Flowers for the dead. Beauty for ashes. Hope for a better tomorrow. Poignant reminders of the rhythms of life. Evidences of grace like the poppies on Flanders Field. The promise of renewal and rebirth. Always a new season, always building on vision and belief and resurrection.
When will we ever learn?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Girls have picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?Where have all the young men gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young men gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone for soldiers every one
When will they ever learn?When will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Covered with flowers every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?
Thank you, Derek
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