I attended a ceremony today to honor veterans.
I learned more about the POW/MIA flag than I knew there was to know.
Today is Veteran Awareness Day.
One of the most moving things I learned
Was about the
Missing Man Table.
What the table represents:
The Small Round Table:
Frailty of one isolated prisoner.
Everlasting concern of family and friends.
The White Table Cloth:
Purity of purpose and intentions.
The Single Red Rose:
Blood of their sacrifice.
Love of the families.
The Slice of Lemon:
Bitter fate of the missing.
The Burning Candle:
Light of hope, in our hearts, guiding them home.
A Pinch Of Salt:
Countless fallen tears.
The Bible:
Faith.
Inverted Glass:
The missing and fallen cannot partake.
The Empty Chair:
The missing and fallen are not present.
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(There are many variations to this symbolism. I found it very moving.)