Memorial Day remembrances - The Green Fields of France

One of my new favorite music groups is Celtic Thunder. One of the songs they record is "The Green Fields of France." It is perfect for remembering all those who have died for their country and for others. Below is lyrics of their version of the song.

In researching the lyrics to make sure the words below were correct, I found a website, posted at the end, that tells about the man who wrote the song. In looking at the website, I discovered that there is another verse to the song that CT does not sing, as well as some adjustment to the words. I hope you enjoy this ballad, and take the time to visit the website that tells of the writer and the song. (Link at the end of this post.)

This Memorial Day, take time to remember those who have died on your behalf: Those who died for your freedom and The One who died for your soul.

The Green Fields of France

1. Well how do you do, young Willie McBride?
Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside?
And rest for awhile `neath the warm, summer sun.
I’ve been walking all day and I’m nearly done.

I see by your gravestone you were only 19,
When you joined the great fallen in 1916.
Well I hope that you died quick and I hope you died clean.
Oh Willie McBride was it slow and obscene?

Chorus--
Did they beat the drums slowly?
Did the play the fife lowly?
Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down?
Did the band play the Last Post and chorus”?
Did the pipes play the “Flowers of the Forest”?

2. Did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind?
In some faithful part, is your memory in shrine?
And though you died back in 1916,
In that faithful heart, you’re forever 19.

Or, Are you a stranger without even a name,
Enclosed forever behind a glass pane?
In an old photograph torn, and battered and stained,
Faded to yellow in a brown leather frame?

3. Now Willie McBride, I can’t help wondering why,
Do those who lie here know why they died?
Did they really believe when they answered the cause?
Did they really believe that this war would end wars?

But the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain,
The killing and dying, where all done in vain.
But to Willie McBride it all happened again
And again and again and again and again.

Check out this website regarding the song and who wrote it: Aftermath.

Happy Memorial Day.
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Bloggers' Delimma

What does a blogger blog about if there isn't a specific theme, like their profession, or dedicated topic (faith, politics...), or other specialized blog? If it's just a general type blog what do you blog about?

I saw a report of someone bemoaning bloggers and people on social networking site who talk about going shopping, or going to work/coming home or other mundane activities of life. 'Who cares if you just got up or heading to bed?' was the complaint. Why would you want to announce to the world the minutia of life? Remember that anybody can read your blog. (Well some are subscribers only, but not all.) Do you really want the whole world to know you just got up???

So, do you use it as a soapbox to let off steam? Or do you use it as a creative writing outlet, like your latest poem (guilty!) Or should a personal blog be used to vent about what is going on in politics, entertainment or the front page, complain about ______________? You fill in the blank. Or is it your e-diary?

I don't blog (obviously) very frequently on this blog because of some of the reasons given above. Many thoughts and ideas go through my mind - especially when I'm not sitting at the computer, - of things that might be good to post. But life gets busy and time goes by without getting them posted. I don't even always have time to read all my email - partly because I get so many forwards, or email from places of business that now have my email address. I probably delete more than I read. By the time I check my email, the news and FB, I don't have the time to think about what to blog.

Well today, I do have something I want to post. And believe it or not, it came from an email forward. But I thought I would put it here and not take the time to forward it on to others. If you read this and want to look into it, you may. If you don't want to, that's fine. And you will not have to worry about forwarding it on to someone else.

This is thinking outside the box! Whoever is the marketer for this Dutch business has a good imagination. Here it is. Enjoy.

Now, here's my poem 'for the day.' Actually the pastor mentioned the first three lines in his sermon today. I just added the 4th, as this is what I could 'hear' in my head as he was speaking - as if it was going to be the next thing he said. It wasn't:

When life is overwhelming,
When life seems to be unfair,
When life has taken your joy and peace,
Remember that God is there.

"by Ron Fields/Suzanne Guinn"

Well, good night folks. I'm going to bed. (well, soon anyway.)
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Rogers Art Guild update

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I know, you want to know how the judging turned out. So, no, I didn't win anything. But I really didn't think I would. The judge is an art teacher from MO. She was very helpful and gives suggestions how to make your picture even better. :-) She gave me some very good suggestions for mine.

The Best in Show was also my favorite of all the paintings. It was of an Amish girl and her dog - a very good display of atmosphere, feeling as well as compositon, values etc. She was standing in the shade of a tree, facing her dog and he to her. You could almost "hear" her talking to him.

The judge discussed several of the paintings to the members. It was very instructive to hear the comments she made. Congratulations to all the winners! Job well done.

Here's my favorite of my three. It is called The Potted Plant:



This next one is called The Grocery List. Have you ever just 'scribbled' all over the page, overlapping lines and circles, then colored in the spaces? This piece it taken after that idea.




This last one is a result of cataloging too many science fiction at the library. All three of these piece are outside of my usual style, but especially this one. It is a little on the weird side. Whoever saw green water with yellow foam, or red rain??? It is called What is Reality.





ENJOY!

Rogers Art Guild

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Last year I joined RAG, (Rogers Art Guild), partly because I need to get back into my art and this will be a way to motivate me. I really don't have a lot of time to devote to it, and I can't even attend most of the meetings. But with one Monday off a month, once in awhile it falls on the meeting day. So I have been able to attend 2 meetings now since last fall.

Their Annual Spring Show (which is juried) is in May. I had experimented with some abstract art and some "science fiction" type pictures - very uncharacteristic for me - this past year. So I framed three items and submitted them. We'll see what happens. I don't expect any awards, there are a lot of very good artists in the guild. Judging is May 3rd.

If I could figure out how to post pictures on the blog, I'd post pics here. I'll see what I can do.

Earthquake in NW Arkansas

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A 2.5 earthquake occured in Centerton, AR a few days ago, on Thursday, (Apr 29th) I believe. The quake actually was several hundred miles below the surface. But there were reports around the area. One person heard a loud boom, someone else noticed the lights at work swinging and wondering why, others saw other things moving, too. But overall it was so minor that it wasn't noticed by most and no damage was reported.

Centerton is about 12 or so miles n.w. of Rogers where we live. And, no, I didn't know about it till it was reported.

Earth Day

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Celebrate Earth Day!
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Take a walk with your kids or grandkids; walk your dogs.
Plant flowers or a tree; clean out a flower bed.
Take tote bags when you go to the store to put your purchases in.
Go for a bike ride.
Start sorting your trash to collect recyclables.
Lower your furnace, or raise your A/C 2 degrees.
See if you can come up with other ideas.
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Recycling is becoming a popular thing with society. We as Christians sometimes resist being pushed in any direction by environmentalists, or our culture, but who better to take care of God's creation but His children. We should set the example of doing the best we can to take of the earth and our world around us.

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God's Secret Helpers
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My husband had Tuesday night off from work, so when he got up Tuesday afternoon he planned to mow the yard. When he stepped outside someone had just mowed it! I didn't go to work till after lunch, so someone had to have mowed it that afternoon while he was sleeping! We don't know who did it, but I wonder if it was my snow shoveler from February. (see Feb's post). Whoever it was, may God bless our 'Lawn Angel'!!

THIS DEAR OLD MAN

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His quiet smile and strong warm hands gave strength and peace to life’s demands.
His love for God and for His Word carved out his life and shaped his world.
Though loss was his from home to son he ne’er gave up. And everyone
That crossed his path knew it was true – he loved the Lord and family, too.

He fixed our dolls and painted bikes. When I was five he bought a kite,
Then hid it up above the door, till I spied it – now hid no more.
He worked all day till tasks were done then worked at home past set of sun.
He planted trees and tilled the ground; his balding head and hands were brown.

No matter what the work at hand from preaching Christ or clearing land
To fixing cars both old and new, he gave his all, ‘twas all he knew.
Though sweat was often on his brow his kerchief band helped out somehow.
Then later when his knees were pained, he never grumbled or complained.

His ethic of a working man was written in his calloused hands,
So scarred and worn from years of toil. Yet, ‘twas my heart that gave him soil,
For there he planted seeds of truth that he had taught me from my youth.
So then through life as he would stroll he left his prints upon my soul

Though born in means of low degree and knew how hard that life could be
He used the gifts that God had given, his heart and hands to help the livin’.
Now father’s gone but left behind: a heritage that now is mine.
I’ll always miss this dear old man. I’ll ne’er forget this godly man.

God answers the small prayers, too.

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January 29th was the 1-year anniversary of a horrible ice storm for northwest Arkansas. And what was the forecast for this day? Snow! Folks were leary that it would be a repeat of a year ago. But it wasn’t. There was no ice, but we had plenty of snow, 6-8-10 inches, depending where you were.

Friday and Saturday the library where I work was closed. It gave me an extra day for the weekend. Sat. Hubby, who works nights, got up in the afternoon. So he was willing to help me do some driveway shoveling. Being a heart patient, he could not last too very long. At that point we had over ½ the driveway done. I told him I would try to at least, get the rest of one side done, so we can get our truck in and out.

I was about 2/3’s done when I was getting exhausted as well. I’d pick up 2-3 shovels full, then stop and rest my head on the end of the long handle. Every time I stopped, panting and resting my head, I prayed, "Lord please send me some help". A car would go by. Then another. Most didn’t even look sideways, but were focused on what was ahead. But I kept it up. I’d shovel; I’d stop-rest-and-pray. I’d shovel; I’d stop-rest-and-pray. After a few cycles of this, I heard a noise across the street. A young teenager, with a shovel in his hand, hollered out. “Would you like some help?”

“Thank you, Lord!” immediately went through my mind. BUT, not wanting to sound to eager I said, “Well, uh, sure; it would sure be nice…” trying to stall a little bit (but not much!). By that time he was in the drive. He started shoveling. I felt a little guilty letting him do all the shoveling, but he told me I didn’t need to shovel any more, he’d do all the rest. He was willing to shovel all of the snow on the driveway, but I told him to shovel what we started out to do. He finished it in no time!! I gave him a small gift of remuneration with a promise of chocolate chip cookies he said were his favorite.

A few days later, I fulfilled my promise with cookies, and met his parents – our neighbors - in the process. Maybe this will be a bridge to evangelism later. I thanked all of them again for his help.

Second answer: (this won’t be as long.)
President’s Day weekend I had the day off, so with my honey’s blessings I went to KC for the weekend to see my friends, my “lunch buddies,” from where I used to work, as well as other co-workers, even friends from a church that we attended at one time.

On my way home, I had a driver “tailing” me. So to encourage him/them to pass, I slowed down a little. They came up beside me and put a note in the passenger window: “Your plate blew off.” My plate??? I was trying to remember if I had set a paper plate on the top of the car when I got in, but a paper plate would have blown off a lot sooner. I didn’t have a paper plate in my hand, tho. Finally I mouthed to them “license plate?” After the second time of “saying” it – the lady in the passenger seat nodded her head yes.

I went to the next overpass and turned around and began the search. All the time, I prayed, Lord please direct my eyes right to the plate. I called 911. They were no help. :-( So I kept looking. I decided to go back to one more intersection, then I would quit and head home. Within about 2-3 tenths of a mile of the intersection, I saw a plate. I was driving back north at that point. The plate laid to the left of the southbound lanes. I didn’t know what our plate number was, but it was the right state and expired the right month. It didn’t look weather worn like it had laid out in the weather a long time, so I took it. (It turned out to be the right plate.) I turned around, headed back south, made a pit stop in the next town and put the plate in the window. THANK YOU, LORD! Another answered prayer – not to mention his protection while I looked – a prayer given before I had left home for KC, MO.

Life Lesson? God isn’t interested in just the Big Things in our life. He’s interested in the little, minor, minute(?) details as well. God is Awesome!!! He doesn't ALWAYS answer these kinds of prayes, especially so quickly. But He can and He does. And it's all to His glory!

The Best Pork Chops I ever COOKED!!

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I have never been very good at cooking pork chops without them being dry, no matter how hard I try. So I decided to go on line and find a recipe.

Here's what I found:
saute chopped onions in butter till clear.
brown/sear chops on one side, turn over. (I piled the onions on top of the chops.)
cover with 1/2 can mushroom soup and 1/2 cup of sour cream.
Simmer 20 minutes.

I didn't have the sour cream so I put the whole can of soup on the meat.
It was absolutely WONDERFUL!!!

It called for one large onion, but I used only a 1/2 onion and it was still fine.

"Try it, You'll like it!" (yeah, I know - I'm telling my age with that line.)

Ted Kennedy's seat

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HALLELUJAH!!!! The republican, Scott Brown, won the election in Mass.!!!!
Watch out, Obama. You haven't pulled off your health care bomb yet.