Remembering and Peace

Today in Australia we mark Remembrance Day.  At 11am on the 11th of November in 1918, the guns fell silent on the Western Front, and the Great War, the First World War was over.  Each year on this day and at this time, across Australia people stop for a minute's silence to remember all those who gave their lives in war and conflicts.

This morning we attended the small service held at Erowal, our aged person's home here in Maleny.  We had with us Muna, a young Indonesian woman who is staying with us for ten days as part of a cultural exchange for young leaders.

The short service was moving and special and we laid red poppies on the memorial.

And this afternoon we worked together in the studio, Muna creating a beautiful book and me getting thru some long overdue tidying up.  The rain and wind stopped for long enough this afternoon for us to visit the Peace Tree and see how well some of the weathergrams have gone; and how some have begun to fray and tear.  I am in quiet awe and amazement that these messages of peace have been out there in the weather (and some pretty tough weather) since mid-Spetember and continue to share the hope for peace.

I love how the tree has filled out and the leaves are full and green.  Most of the time the leaves seem to protect the weathergrams, but sometimes the wind just blows too hard...

I still love the fragments tho...

And to help me get the photo - Muna holds "Help Peace" - perfect.