Skip to main content

Lest We Forget

Hi everyone.

I'm sorry it has been so long since my last post. Back in April, I think we expected things to have improved by now in terms of the Coronavirus but sadly, things seem to have become very challenging again. 

My heart goes out to any of you that have lost loved ones, been separated from family and friends, been ill yourselves, lost your job or had your life turned upside down and inside out in any other awful way. And if you are a "key worker" or you have done anything at all to help make life a bit better for someone during the last few months, then thank you!

Of course, this is the time of year when we try to remember those who have served others in the most significant and poignant way. I know that Remembrance Day can't be acknowledged in quite the same way this year because of the virus but hopefully we can still find ways of remembering. 

Here are 5 things that might help with that. 


Poppies


Poppies are one of my favourite flowers and even if we can't physically visit a field of poppies at the moment, this photo might help you to appreciate their beauty and to remember how significant they are at this time of year especially.


Poetry

Even people who never normally read poetry often turn to it at times of great sadness or happiness such as funerals or weddings. Last year, 14 year old Josh Dyer from Leominster in the UK wrote a simple but incredibly evocative poem for Remembrance Day called 'One Thousand Men Are Walking'. His mum posted it on Facebook and it has since been read by hundreds of thousand of people online. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-hereford-worcester-50291048


People



Although many Remembrance Day commemorations will be severely curtailed this year due to the pandemic, the annual Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph in London will go ahead as a closed ceremony. It will be broadcast live on BBC One from 10.15am on Sunday 8 November and you can also watch a live stream of events from the Cenotaph on the Royal British Legion Facebook Page


Philanthropy

Defined as the act of performing charitable or benevolent actions, Remembrance Day is a good time of year to practice philanthropy. Even if you've not been able to buy a poppy because of Covid, you can still donate online to the British Legion's Poppy Appeal 2020 and even download a free poppy poster that you can display in your window to encourage others to give. There is also a poppy poster for the kids to colour in too.

https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/ways-to-give/donate


Printable



This is a printable poppy collage sheet that I designed recently and which is available to download from my Etsy shop. If you purchase it any time before midnight on 11 November 2020, I will donate the full retail price (£2.50) to the Royal British Legion.

You can instantly download the printable sheet here:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/894516863/poppy-digital-collage-sheet-digital


I hope that whatever you do this year for Remembrance Day you are able to stay well and safe.

Take care,

Melissa x





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shortlisted in the Writer's Toolkit Flash Fiction Competition

Hi everyone. A good writing week this week, despite the distractions of the cricket and the tennis, possibly because my portfolio career has been suspended, pending further enquiries (don't tell my patrons!) and I've been at my desk every night. Long may it continue! I said in my last post that I was recently shortlisted (top ten) in the Writer's Toolkit flash fiction competition. The competition brief was to write a short story of 150 words or less on the theme of 'Secrets'. My story actually came out at exactly 150 words because at the last minute, after I'd sealed the envelope, I suddenly panicked and decided that the wording of the rules could mean that the story had to be exactly 150 words. Mine was 149 if I remember correctly and it was surprisingly difficult to add that extra word! Apparently the competition attracted 182 entries (which I must admit was quite a surprise) and entries came from several European countries as well as the UK. I was particu
6 comments
Read more

The Mail on Sunday Feature

Hi everyone. Well, it's not every day that The Mail on Sunday runs a double-page spread about the book you are writing. This is what happened to me last Sunday, and I'm still recovering from the shock. It was about three weeks ago that I received an email, completely out of the blue, from the paper's chief reporter. Apparently, he had been researching the issue of copyright on unpublished letters for something he was working on and had come across a blog post that I had  written about this very subject. https://melissalawrencewriter.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/publish-and-be-damned.html The post in question was about my own copyright issues concerning the large collection of letters and postcards I have inherited from my grandmother. These are not just any old letters and postcards. They were written to my grandmother by her close friend, Ethel North, who was lady's maid and companion to Lady Winifred Burghclere, elder sister of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, between
4 comments
Read more

No Show

Sorry that there is no new post this week. I am a "no show" due to the wheels coming off my trolley on Tuesday when I tried some glandular therapy treatment for my ongoing hypoadrenalism and ended up passed out on the hall floor. At the moment, my brain feels like it is full of cotton-wool and writing anything deep and meaningful (or even anything shallow and nonsensical) seems quite difficult. Hopefully normal service will be resumed as soon as possible so please do not adjust your settings.
4 comments
Read more