“Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the flowers gone?
Gone to graveyards every one.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?”
I cannot think about Memorial Day without thinking about flowers. I see rows and rows of graves, those that lost their lives for their country, and others, covered in flowers of every kind. It reminds me of the field of poppies that were planted on the field in France where the soldiers landed in WWII. The practice of leaving flowers on graves began thousands of years ago when the Greeks would honor fallen warriors. The custom has carried on until this day.
This Memorial Day, there will be fresh, new little graves covered in flowers. They are the graves of the children, our littlest warriors. What kind of flowers could ever bring solace to the ones who stand by those graves? Perhaps instead of just flowers, planting something that will take root and grow, something that is a constant reminder that if we plant a seed, water it, nurture it, and pull out the weeds, it will grow into something strong and lasting.
So, what seeds do we plant on these little graves? We plant seeds of peace, of hope, of courage, and the strength to do what we all know is right. I think another field of poppies sounds about right for the littlest warriors among us, don’t you?
And so it is.
