Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Legacy of Heroes

I'm glad that Jenny is giving those of us who flock like squawking magpies to her Saturday Centus meme each week an opportunity to pay tribute to our heroes on this Memorial Day weekend. We are allowed to add no more than 100 words to her prompt (which is in red, below), so I've decided to go with a poem.

∞§∞


Today we celebrate our troops,
whose valor must be praised.
Our nation is the legacy
of heroes, born and raised.

From sea to shining sea, they choose
to honor and protect
the laws and land that we revere,
the freedoms we respect.

The sacrifices of these men
and women stir our hearts,
invoking all the gratitude
their selflessness imparts.

We celebrate each one of them
and thank their families, too,
for rising to our country’s call
with courage known by few.

May we be true to all who serve,
and hold in memory,
each father...mother...daughter...son...
whose blood has kept us free.

∞§∞

30 comments:

Amanda said...

A beautiful poem. They should read it out loud in school.

yaya said...

Wonderful! Thanks so much for the poem Sue..

Brian Miller said...

nice. this is a lovely memorial day poem...a great weekend to honor the sacrifices of the heroes of our nation...hope yours is great!

Anonymous said...

Just beautiful, sweet Sue. Hugs

Nonna said...

Brilliant and very touching poem Sue...perfect for the prompt and Memorial Day !!!

Robert Brault said...

Wonderful, Sue, both in its sentiment and the delightful way its trips off the tongue. You are such a pro!

jfb57 said...

A lovely piece to help reflect on all at war.

Judie said...

Sue, this is a very moving piece. Thank you.

Tonya said...

So true...and so beautifully written. Thanks again for a wonderful reminder!!

Dazee Dreamer said...

So beautiful. You have amazing poem skills. I was truly touched.

Ames said...

Bravo Sue! You say it all so well.Happy Memorial Day!~Ames

Grandma Honey said...

"who's blood has kept us free"

So true. You have such an incredible way with words.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Very, very nice, Sue. I especially like "who's blood has kept us free."

I didn't feel up to the task of this one. You clearly were.

xoRobyn

jeff campbell said...

Wonderful poem...Peace and blessings

Lynn said...

Very nice! Happy Memorial Day:@)

Stacy said...

What a great poem. A local platoon lost 8 men last week in Iraq. One of the soldiers was a nephew to our Branch Presdent's family. If you don't mind I'd like to share this with their family?

Thanks,
Stacy

Anonymous said...

lovely, well said. You did a wonderful job in summarizing why we celebrate Memorial Day. A good reminder to all of us. Have a wonderful Memorial Day.

Amy said...

Amen! Every Memorial Day the traveling wall of the Viet Nam Memorial makes a visit near my home. It always humbles me and makes me so grateful for this freedom I have.

Unknown said...

Beautiful!!
I am LDS too :)
Following your blog and would love a follow back and a hi!
Happy Memorial day!
XO
http://lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com/

Marla said...

Happy Memorial, Day. We are so blessed to live in this country.

Marla @ www.blueskiesphotoblog.com

Brian Miller said...

happy memorial day sue! i hope you have a great day with family...

Caroline said...

Amen, Sue. A beautiful, beautiful poem. Thank you...

Tgoette said...

Brilliantly done! Such a beautiful tribute to Memorial Day!

Reanaclaire said...

Very touching poem.. by the way, first time coming by to visit .. have a nice day..

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

Beautiful and impactful. Thank you for giving us all pause for thought. Too many think this day is about family cookouts alone.

Karen Sue said...

Thanks Sue...your words flow so beautifully what we feel in our hearts. We honored our veterans in church this weekend...mostly very old ones, and one woman around my age.

VK said...

Aren't the flags at the cemetery awesome.
You are so good at the prompts. Creative, you are!

cj Schlottman said...

Thanks, Sue, for this wonderful poem!

Namaste..........cj

Tonya said...

As a Veteran Memorial day is a big one for me as a farmer its a busy one. I solute you on your poem.

Farmer

Jenny said...

Oh Sue.

Geez, girl.

You just make me cry.

You capture emotion so well.

Geez.