Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul (43 page)

Cyril Allinson, a twenty-two-year-old sergeant major was delivering mail that day and approached Major McCrae as he wrote. He looked up, and then went on writing while the young soldier waited quietly. When he finished five minutes later, the major took his mail from Allinson and without a word, handed him the finished poem to read. What Cyril Allinson read astounded him.

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hand we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

Allinson looked around and realized that the poem was almost an exact description of the scene before them.

Unhappy with it, Major McCrae tossed the poem away, but a fellow officer retrieved it and sent it to the newspapers in England, where shortly after that it was published by
Punch Magazine.
The effects of the poem washed across England like a giant wave. All of Britain was moved and encouraged by the words, and it quickly spread throughout the allied nations.

Soon, the poppy became a symbol of life and resurrection. Each part of the flower represented some part of this war experience. Life and freedom became represented, all in this tiny red flower.

In 1918, Colonel John McCrae was seriously wounded and taken to a hospital on the coast of France. He was placed in a room where he might look out the window toward the Dover cliffs across the channel. Before he died three nights later, his final words were reported to be: “Tell them this, if ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep.”

Canadian Colonel John McCrae was buried in the cemetery of Wimereux, and his poem, “In Flanders Fields,” remains to this day one of the most memorable war poems ever written. It is a lasting legacy of the brave men who fought for freedom in the Great War, and in the one that followed. Every year on November 11, Canadians from Cape Breton Island to Victoria wear their poppies in respect, and when McRae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” is read in the Remembrance Day ceremonies, we stand in silence and we remember.

Colonel John McCrae
story adapted from
Welcome to Flanders Fields,
by Daniel G. Dancocks

O Canada!

O Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.
Car ton bras sait porter l’épée,
Il sait porter la croix.
Ton histoire est une épopée,
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

More Chicken Soup?

Many of the stories and poems you have read in this book were submitted by readers like you who had read earlier
Chicken Soup for the Soul
books. We publish at least five or six
Chicken Soup for the Soul
books every year. We invite you to contribute a story to one of these future volumes.

Stories may be up to twelve hundred words and must uplift or inspire. You may submit an original piece, something you have read or your favorite quotation on your refrigerator door.

To obtain a copy of our submission guidelines and a listing of upcoming
Chicken Soup for the Soul
books, please write, fax or check one of our Web sites.

Please send your submissions to:

Chicken Soup for the Soul
P.O. Box 30880, Santa Barbara, CA 93130
fax: 805-563-2945
Web sites:
www.chickensoup.com
www.clubchickensoup.com

We will be sure that both you and the author are credited for your submission.

For information about speaking engagements, other books, audiotapes, workshops and training programs, please contact any of our authors directly.

In the Spirit of Giving

In the spirit of supporting children, the publisher and coauthors of
Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul
will donate a portion of the proceeds from this book to:

The Tim Horton Children Foundation, Inc.
R.R. # 2, 264 Glen Morris Road East,
St. George, Ontario N0E 1N0
Phone: (519) 448-1248
Fax: 519-448-1415
www.timhortons.com

The Tim Horton Children Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization committed to providing a fun-filled and memorable camp environment for children from economically disadvantaged homes. This foundation was established by Ron Joyce, cofounder of Tim Hortons in honour of his friend and National League Hockey star Tim Horton, to recognize his love for children and his desire to help those less fortunate.

Each year, local children are selected from each of the communities in which a Tim Hortons store operates. This gives thousands of children the opportunity to attend one of the six camps, five across Canada and one in the United States, each offering unique opportunities. The foundation covers all expenses for the child, including transportation, food and lodging. Highly trained staff, excellent facilities and programs provide all the fun that is consistent with a first-class children’s camp. The camp experience is designed to give children confidence in their abilities, pride in their accomplishments and the chance to gain a positive view of this world and their future.

Information concerning the Tim Horton Children Foundation, Inc. may be obtained from the Web site or by writing to the address above. To make a donation, please call 519-448-1248.

Who Is Jack Canfield?

Jack Canfield is one of North America’s leading experts in the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. He is both a dynamic, entertaining speaker and a highly sought-after trainer. Jack has a wonderful ability to inform and inspire audiences toward increased levels of self-esteem and peak performance.

He is the author and narrator of several bestselling audio and videocassette programs, including
Self-Esteem and Peak Performance,
How to Build High Self-Esteem, Self-Esteem in the Classroom
and
Chicken
Soup for the Soul—Live.
He is regularly seen on television shows such as
Good Morning America, 20/20
and
NBC Nightly News.
Jack has coauthored numerous books, including the
Chicken Soup for the Soul
series,
Dare to Win
and
The Aladdin Factor
(all with Mark Victor Hansen),
100 Ways to Build Self-Concept in the Classroom
(with Harold C. Wells),
Heart at Work
(with Jacqueline Miller) and
The Power of Focus
(with Les Hewitt and Mark Victor Hansen).

Jack is a regularly featured speaker for professional associations, school districts, government agencies, churches, hospitals, sales organizations and corporations. His clients have included Achiever’s Canada, the American Dental Association, the American Management Association, AT&T, Bob Proctor’s seminars, Campbell’s Soup, Clairol, Domino’s Pizza, GE, ITT, Hartford Insurance, Johnson & Johnson, the Millionaire’s Club, the Million Dollar Roundtable, NCR, New England Telephone, Re/Max, Scott Paper, Simon Fraser University, TRW and Virgin Records.

Jack conducts an annual eight-day Training of Trainers program in the areas of self-esteem and peak performance. It attracts educators, counselors, parenting trainers, corporate trainers, professional speakers, ministers and others interested in developing their speaking and seminar-leading skills.

For further information about Jack’s books, tapes and training programs, or to schedule him for a speech or seminar, please contact:

Self-Esteem Seminars
P.O. Box 30880
Santa Barbara, CA USA 93130
Phone: 805-563-2935 • Fax: 805-563-2945
Web site:
www.chickensoup.com

Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?

Mark Victor Hansen is a professional speaker who in the last twenty years has made over 4,000 presentations to more than 2 million people in thirty-two countries. His presentations cover sales excellence and strategies; personal empowerment and development; and how to triple your income and double your time off.

Mark has spent a lifetime dedicated to his mission of making a profound and positive difference in people’s lives. Throughout his career, he has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to create a more powerful and purposeful future for themselves while stimulating the sale of billions of dollars worth of goods and services.

Mark is a prolific writer and has authored
Future Diary, How to
Achieve Total Prosperity
and
The Miracle of Tithing.
He is coauthor of the
Chicken Soup for the Soul
series,
Dare to Win
and
The Aladdin Factor
(all with Jack Canfield), and
The Master Motivator
(with Joe Batten).

Mark has also produced a complete library of personal-empowerment audio and videocassette programs that have enabled his listeners to recognize and use their innate abilities in their business and personal lives. His message has made him a popular television and radio personality, with appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, PBS and CNN. He has also appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, including
Success, Entrepreneur
and
Changes.

Mark is a big man with a heart and spirit to match—an inspiration to all who seek to better themselves.

For further information about Mark, write:

MVH & Associates
P.O. Box 7665
Newport Beach, CA USA 92658
Phone: 949-759-9304 or 800-433-2314
Fax: 949-722-6912
Web site:
www.chickensoup.com

Who Is Janet Matthews?

Janet Matthews (née Patterson) is a Canadian freelance writer and editor. After having spent the first twenty years of her professional life in Toronto’s fast-paced fashion photography and advertising industry, Janet was asked in 1997 by Raymond Aaron to help produce and edit
Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul.
When she was invited to coauthor
Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul,
she jumped at the opportunity to use her unique skills and talents to help create this very special Canadian book. Janet says, “I’m so grateful for the opportunity both to speak to so many Canadians from all across the country and to help them tell their stories. I’ve been touched and inspired and moved to tears so many times.”

In addition to writing, editing and collecting
Chicken Soup
stories, Janet is working with Daniel Keenan to produce a book-sized version of “The Navy’s Baby,” a wonderfully inspiring story that appears in
Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul.
She is also compiling stories for a book on true spiritual experiences, life-changing awarenesses and miracles to be published in 2004. It will be a collection of stories to inspire and uplift spiritual seekers of all backgrounds.