Today is Poppy Day in the UK, another name for Armistice Day. The poppy became a symbol of Armistice Day from the popular poem, In Flanders Fields, written by Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae during World War I in which he describes the poppies growing between the graves in Flanders fields. For the past few weeks we have seen these bright red paper flowers pop up on shirts, blouses, lapels, coats, and hats everywhere we go in England. Every news- and sportscaster in the UK wears one. It’s a wonderful way to show remembrance – and respect, gratitude, and optimism.
poppies on little crosses outside of Westminster Abbey
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Today, the eleventh day of the eleventh month, at 11:00, we were emerging from the Underground station next to Parliament, under the vigilant face of Big Ben, when the clock began to strike the hour. It was eerie to see the people on the sidewalks of such a congested district in a bustling city take a moment to stop, look up at Big Ben, and reflect. And most of them were wearing poppies.