Hold the Line

Veterans Day is a very special day in our household. My Grandfathers both served their Country, my Uncles and Aunt served, and my Step-Sister and dear Friends all have taken up the call and chose to Hold The Line to ensure our Safety and Freedom. Military Service is a tough calling not only for the Soldier but also, their families. That sense of Honor, Duty and Loyalty can be a difficult thing to swallow for family members who may or may not have chosen to be the Support System and holding the other side of that line at home.

It was a huge honor to be asked to create a series of papers to be used exclusively with a project Danielle and Rayme (The Diva Craft Lounge) had volunteered to do with Military Families before one or both parents leave for the Theater of War. The Series was created with the express intent and wish that they will never be bought or sold, only downloaded for use freely in honor of those who give FREELY their service for our Country.

Here is the Story of Hold the Line and why on this Veteran's Day, I encourage those reading this to create something for someone who Held the Line and gave so sacrificially for the Freedoms we enjoy today.

These 5 designs started as pieces of thin Maple Veneers. I chose Maple because they serve, protect and give so selflessly each year in the harshest of climates and when they themselves are the most vulnerable and unprotected. I live in Michigan where in early Spring when the ground is still frozen and the world is still asleep under Winter's icy kiss, spigots are tapped into the bark of the Sugar Maple trees where syrup flows like blood from it's core and is collected into a bucket.  That syrup is enjoyed in the comforts of a warm home over freshly made pancakes with pats of butter oozing, freshly squeezed juice and brewed coffee waiting next to the plate. The table linens are clean and pressed, the silverware polished and in order, and even the plates are fragile glass and clink with taps from an empty fork seeking to be laden again. It is safe.

The Maple stands guard throughout the year, providing shade, shelter and rest for all those who seek comfort under it's strong limbs and never once does it complain. It weathers storms and driving rain, gales of winds and drought without yielding where it's roots are secure and dug deep. They Hold the Line.

On these Veneers, are the tiny cracks of faithful service etched in their protective polish, signs that they wear outwardly, the patina of a life well spent and invested in something higher than themselves. That rich surface and texture only improves with age as the slight lines become creases and scars that tell the story to the next generation, the group of Men and Women who hear the calling, the lineage of proud Patriots spanning from family line to family line across oceans and terrain... They Hold the Line.

The drawings are simple, pen to paper, nothing complex, no technology involved (sans the scanning in), simply a mark on the surface signifying a thought, an idea, and a purpose. Words salvaged from an old manual; a set of instructions left from the 1800's on a printing press preserved for posterity in ink, cut with scissors and attached with glue. It seemed only fitting to use exactly what was on hand and leave the page to be completed with only the story that could be told from someone who Held that Line. Our Veterans are the thread that bind and connect the very fabric of our Constitution and Flag to the people who are guided and live under them today. They are the Line and here, as Citizens we are tasked to preserve, document and Hold that Line.

Thank you Veterans. May God keep you and protect you. May those serving in Harm's way Holding the Line now, come home when their job is completed safely. And a special thank you to my Maple, you are an inspiration.

This is a lovely poem written by Thena Smith using the FREE downloadable Paper at The Diva Craft Lounge.

Comments

[Mary Jane Booth]

Sarah

You are a wonderful writer! I was entranced from the first line. I will check back often to intake and enjoy your words.

MJ