Speaking of Fish: or what one fish said to another

This somewhat macabre image comes from Vickie in Taiwan, a Postcrosser. She translates a Chinese proverb but a lot got lost in the translation. It is something about the two fish talking to each other on the line. One asks why the other is still laughing and the other replies because I'm lucky to still see the sky and not hang in the market. I searched the Internet but couldn't come up with any matches, so if any of you have a clue how this works please let me know.

The image is reminiscent of many fish caches in Alaska this time of year. Fish are hung and dried and smoked in the open air and the odor of smoked fish is everywhere, especially along the coastlines and river villages. Its a strong scent but after you've lived here a few years you come to expect and enjoy its pungent odor which signifies fall has arrived.

Memorial Day Reminds Us Everyday is a Memorial Day

Here is a postcard that reminds us Americans that there are Memorial Days of all kinds that exist with no less significance than our own civil observance to honor the war dead past and present. My experience of Memorial Day means much more, namely that everyday is a Memorial Day -- a day in which I give honor to all the dead whose lives made my life and the life of my country possible.



This card is an entrance to a traditional home in Taiwan. It was sent by postcrosser Ya-Cin of Taiwan. The black characters on a red painted background to the left of the door is a couplet which declares "Jesus is Lord of my family." It is sobering to recall that in most of the world's countries such a sign would be an invitation to ridicule, persecution or death.



Every Christian knows that everyday is a Memorial Day because of Christ's sacrificial death for the atonement of the world's sin and for the untold number of unheralded Christian martyrs world wide throughout history and today.



As a small boy I remember my family would take time each Memorial Day (not yet a legal holiday) and visit the graves of the family's dead. I was so small I didn't yet understand the significance of these visits but did understand the reverence of my aunts and uncles and parents for the memory of their ancestor's life of sacrifice.