Monday, November 11, 2013

Poppin' Lewis

Yesterday, we attended church at St. Mark's. Usually, I don't attend with the students and go to Vineyard, but we we went to St. Mark's because it was Remembrance Day.

Remembrance Day is similar to Veteran's Day except, and this is maybe due to the size of NI, but everyone gets involved, not just certain families. I don't know. It felt much more widespread and made a big deal of. 

Everyone wears a poppy. 

Feel free to ignore the fact that my skin is so white it glows in sunshine. Focus on the poppy. 
Women wear it on the right; men on the left. The leaf sits at 2 o clock.  Poppies are the symbols of Flander's Field. 
During the service (which was Church of Ireland or Anglican), there was a ceremony. 

First, a robed figure walked down the aisle with "the book" (not the Bible). 
Then, two veterans representing WWI co-carried a poppy wreath to the front. Following them were two vets representing WWII carrying another poppy wreath. 

The wreaths were laid at the altar and the carriers stepped to the side. 

Then, "the book" was opened, and the name of every soldier who died in each war from that particular parish was read aloud in memory. 

When the names were all read, there were bagpipes and bugles followed by a time of silence and prayer. 

It was all very moving. 

Construction, but this is the church. Yes, I took it from the bus. Don't judge. 



This is not a church. This is Little Lee. Did I not mention that St. Mark's was the homechurch of C.S. Lewis? Oops. Well. You know now. And Little Lee, pictured here, was his childhood home. His birthhome no longer exists. Just after Little Lee was purchased by a non-Lewis some years back, it was vandalized. Because of that, the owner is a wee sensitive about trespassers. You may see the house, but you may see it from outside the gate alone. 


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