RSS

Tag Archives: Bloggers 4 Peace

Remembrance Day, Peace and A Poem

Our very talented, local knitter has been busy again and made a wonderful topper for today.

We wear white poppies in remembrance of all victims of war – the wars happening now, the civilians and the refugees and as a commitment to peace. The white poppy is also worn to challenge militarism and any attempt to glorify or celebrate war. I was pleased to see a white poppy included in the topper.

I found a poem about Peace for today and first found this one attributed to Mary Oliver. Here it says that was wrong, it is a poem by Judyth Hill. Thank you for this.

Wage Peace

By Judyth Hill*

Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings
and flocks of redwing blackbirds.

Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children
and freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen
and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.

Wage peace with your listening:
hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools:
flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.

Make soup.
Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit, and make a hat.
Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
Swim for the other side.
Wage peace.

Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious.
have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Celebrate today.

* Sometimes mistakenly attributed to Mary Oliver

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 9, 2025 in Cornwall, knitting, poetry, Postaday2025, Uncategorized

Tags: Bloggers 4 Peace, Bloggers for Peace, The Peace Pledge Union

Lemn Sissay

17 Oct

The wonderful Lemn Sissay has given me permission to share his poem with you.

Let there be peace
Let tears evaporate to form clouds, cleanse themselves
And fall into reservoirs of drinking water.
Let harsh memories burst into fireworks that melt
In the dark pupils of a child’s eyes
And disappear like shoals of silver darting fish,
And let the waves reach the shore with a
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Listening to him on Radio 4 recently, I learned that one of the songs we sing at choir is one of his morning poems. I’ll try to get a recording soon.

Jimi Hendrix and A Poem

26 Feb

A friend reminded me of this beautiful poem today. It seems right for our troubled times as we all watch Ukraine with trepidation.

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 26, 2022 in art, Uncategorized

Tags: Bloggers 4 Peace, Bloggers for Peace, love, The Peace of Wild Things, Wendell Berry

New Angels, Knitting and Peace

09 Nov

I have been given a commission! I am to make three angels, hopefully incorporating the jewels given to me to use. I have made a start today and the first two are looking very promising.

It’s almost Remembrance Day and today I passed some lovely knitted poppies in a local village so I stopped to get a photo.

We wear white poppies that we get from The Peace Pledge Union which promotes peace. The white poppy commemorates people who died in conflict, soldiers and civilians, and focuses on achieving peace and challenging the way we look at war.

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 9, 2021 in Photography, Postaday2021

Tags: Bloggers 4 Peace, Bloggers for Peace, Remembrance Day, The Peace Pledge Union

Poppies, Peace and A Postcard

11 Nov

These are the words of our Mayor, Deborah Reeve -“Probably one of the most surreal experiences of the last 3 years. On Redruth Station at 5.00am to lay a wreath on the Poppy Train during a pandemic.” How lovely that GWR are collecting poppies from lots of stations in Cornwall to take up to London for Armistice Day.

Here’s a Poppy from our garden and a white Poppy for Peace to mark the day.

45992133_10156258141927217_1116304713680158720_o

A beautiful card arrived today from a very lovely and dear friend, expressing her concern about my ankles – a typically kind and lovely thing to do. Thank you, T.

Catching Crayfish by Carl Larsson

A Book, More Masks and Peace

08 Aug

Today I posted a little book to its author. Many years ago, when teaching Year 7s, we used to read ‘The Indian in the Cupboard’ by Lynne Reid Banks and from that inspiration, the children wrote their own story in chapters. I kept Paul’s which is delightful and as I have followed his very interesting career and stayed in touch, I am able to return this lovely piece of work to him.

I have made eight masks for our London family and they arrived today.

I saw this today and wanted to share it with you all, Dear Readers. Peace to you all, wherever you are in the world.

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 8, 2020 in books, friendship, Photography, Postaday2020, Uncategorized

Tags: Bloggers 4 Peace, Bloggers for Peace, covid19, Dove of Peace

A Bench, A Bouquet and Peace

20 Jun

For years we have wondered about having somewhere to commemorate my Mum and Dad and have thought that a bench near Gwennap Church where Dad found his inspiration for his best seller, “Jeremy Visick” would be just perfect. The stream that runs by is mentioned in the story too and the place really is special to all the family. Today, with the blessing of the Vicar, we met the Church warden to discuss how this can happen and where to site the bench – just to the right of the one that is there already. So delighted that this project is finally going to happen. I’ll keep you informed as things progress.

A friend sent a message today to say that in her clearing out she has found some single earrings and can I use them in my glass projects? Yes, I can! I’ve left a little bunch of sweet peas on the doorstep in exchange.

The following words seem right in these strange and discombobulating times. I have posted them before, some four years ago.

Peace

Daffodils, Lentils and Preparation

29 Mar

Our order from Sarah Raven arrived much earlier than we anticipated so we have had to empty the daffodil pot in order to plant the Sweet Peas. I cut the Daffs to bring in and we have buried the bulbs so that the leaves can die down naturally.

I have made a Ragu sauce with lentils instead of meat tonight and it was delicious.

We have prepared the planting place for the Sweet Peas with their wigwam. I’ll put the beautiful looking little plants in tomorrow.

Tonight my neighbours and I will be in the garden at 8.30 to sing for peace as people around the world will be doing. Join in if you would like to singing Peace, Salaam, Shalom.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 29, 2020 in community, Food, garden, nature, Photography, Postaday2020, Uncategorized

Tags: Bloggers 4 Peace, Denver Women's Chorus, peace, Peace Salaam Shalom, Sarah Raven

UN Day and Bruce Kent, Tea Cosies and Kindnesses

24 Oct

It is UN Day today and we were privileged to have Bruce Kent, of CND and a veteran Peace campaigner, in Truro, to speak to us to mark the day. The world celebrates United Nations Day every October 24 to honour the interstate organisation promoting human rights, social progress, and world peace. … Founding the United Nations in 1945 right after the very tragic World War II meant a very important idea to be embedded in every nation – that is to achieve Peace. This aim becomes more important with each day that goes by.

Cornish flag and United Nations flag on either side of the Union Jack

Later in Truro, I saw a new tea cosy in the bread shop.

Hedgehog cosy

This morning I came across my quotation book again and thought this one of William Wordsworth’s seemed right for today.

“The best portions of a good man’s life are his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness.”

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 24, 2018 in Cornwall, Kindness, knitting, Peace, Photography

Tags: Bloggers 4 Peace, Bloggers for Peace, United Nations Day

Peace for 2018

02 Jan

As 2018 gets under way with yet another storm, this one named Eleanor, I give you these Gaelic words which we sing with both my choirs. Deep peace is what we all need and it is what I wish for you all, my Dear Readers.