Monday, January 7, 2013

Poppies and IA Challenge

Poppies are a favorite flower.


Ivon Hitchens (British artist, 1893-1979) Flowers

According to this source the poppy means that...
The red petals stand for the vast outpouring of blood; the yellow and black center, the mud and desolation of all battlefields. The green of the stem is symbolic of the forests, meadows and fields where generations of Americans have perished to make this land free. The stem represents the courage and determination of our fallen warriors. The assembled product, a flower, is a symbol of resurrection, which is sure to follow.
In the book The Language of Flowers, poppy means consolation.



Darling earrings  source

A favorite blog read is BJWS; this paragraph is taken from her post found here about poppies.
In the World War I battlefields of Belgium, poppies grew wild amid the ravaged landscape. How could such a delicate flower grow bright and  wild surrounded by death and destruction? The overturned soils of battlefield enabled the poppy seeds to be covered, allowing them to thrive and to serve as a reminder of the bloodshed during that and future wars. The use of poppies as a remembrance for those who served in war was inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields" written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae of the WWI Canadian forces in 1915.
poppies on silk by McCarroll

Elsbeth Müller-Kaempff (German artist, 1869–1940) 

Poppies have been painted, photographed and written about since time immemorial.  Show us a picture or write about poppies and link back to Inspiration Avenue (IA). I will comment on every entry and will surely  enjoy each of your posts.  Here is a linky picture to use in your post if you would like to copy it.

Inspiration Avenue Challenge Link

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Today is Epiphany

In Christianity, Epiphany refers to the moment that a person believes that Jesus is the son of God. To symbolize this, Western Christian churches generally celebrate Epiphany with the arrival of the three kings at the birthplace of Jesus 12 days after Christmas, or January 6 on the current calendar.

January 6 is also our wedding anniversary, another memorable personal event. This video was made three years ago by my husband for our 20th anniversary. It bears repeating.

Happy Anniversary, Gene.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

January 2013

Welcome, 2013

Thank you to all the readers of this blog for the time you take to check in with the thoughts and images I have shared here in the past five years of blogging.  Thank you for the comments you have left and for the friendships that have been sparked through the sharing of ideas.  You are all a wonderful group of creative and talented internet friends.  And for you lurkers out there on the innerwebs, thank you, also for reading and visiting.

Pictures from Marjolein Bastin

May you all have a happy and prosperous 2013.  From St. Francis:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Good Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.