Hero

November 11, 2014 Photo: "Hero"

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." ~ Elmer Davis

Today, I honor all of the brave men and women who have served our country, and I think about my dad. In fact, I think about him every day as I stand to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. I am humbled by the courage it must have taken to enlist in the Navy when he was only seventeen years old, to leave his family and travel around the world to defend our freedom. For this, and so much more, he will always be my hero.

Muted

November 10, 2014 Photo (314/365): "Muted"

The season's palate has changed from marvelous, obvious October to somber, subtle November. Shades of brown, cream, faded greens, and grays whisper their quiet, almost muted beauty to those who will take the time to listen.

Chou

November 8, 2014 Photo (312/365): "Petit chou"

Despite, all the pretty pink and white roses in this bouquet, my eye was immediately drawn to the uniquely beautiful cabbage in the center. I always thought that the French terms of endearment, mon petit chou ("my little cabbage") was so curious. Unlike "honey" and "sweetie" in English, a cabbage always struck me as far from sweet. Yet, this petit chou is really lovely.

Candle

November 7, 2014 Photo (311/365): "Candle"

"It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness." - Eleanor Roosevelt

I'm having a hard time adjusting to the end of daylight savings time, but a pretty candle helps.

French Friday: L'Armistice

On Tuesday, November 11th, while Americans honor Veterans Day, the French will observe l'Armistice, the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I.  At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, French Marechal Ferdinand Foch and German Matthias Erzberger met in a railway carriage in the Compiègne Forest in Picardy  to sign the treaty to bring an end to the fighting that claimed nearly twenty million lives in four years. Since Armistice Day was approved as a federal holiday in several Allied nations  in 1922, it has become  customary for citizens to observe a moment of respectful silence at 11:00 a.m. local time. In France, the solemn day is commemorated with special church services and military parades to war memorials around the country, most notably the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, where the tricolor French flag flies in honor of the fallen.

The body of an unidentified soldier from Verdun was buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 1920. This fallen hero serves as a symbol of all those who died in World War I, and in more recent years, as a symbol for all French military personnel who have given their lives in service of their country. An eternal flame was lit on the tomb three years later and still burns today.