Today is Veteran’s Day, and there are many veterans that make up my circle of extended family and friends to whom I celebrate today. The closest of these is my husband, of course. He was feeling quite miserable today with a bad sinus infection, so he wasn’t up to celebrating in our usual ways, but I have been trying to comfort him the best I can- hence the lateness of tonight’s post. That being said- I couldn’t let the day finish for myself without making my annual poppy flower art. I mix up my media each year- sometimes even starting weeks ahead with a ceramic piece. I do have a ceramic poppy in the works, but it was not glazed as of today, so tonight I worked on a new idea.

My poppy art is very meaningful for me. Growing up, when the Veterans would be out selling poppies, my dad, a Vietnam Veteran, would stop and buy one, explaining the importance of the symbol as he hung it from his rear view mirror. I remember my grandfather had a poppy hanging from the same spot in his Mercury Grand Marquis- I assume this tradition started with him, although they have both long since passed, so I have only my faded memories to go on. At my father’s funeral, everyone in attendance added a poppy to his casket, until you could only see his face in the sea of red flowers around him. Now, my car boasts its own flower, and I relay the same stories to my children as I replace my fading poppy with a fresh one when the VFW has their sales.

I’ll have to remember this for next year. It’s inspiring an idea for a painting of a poppy hang from a rear view mirror. I’ll set a reminder for myself in my calendar. Technology is handy for things like this!

Red poppy hangs still,

echoes of fathers’ stories,

honor passed through years.

I’ll end with a little Haiku, inspired by my reminiscence, and to help lighten the mood, in case I was a little too depressing with my personal story up there.

Are there special ways you celebrate Veterans Day?