Keep Calm and Carry On

Meandering through Marshall’s looking for a new coffee cup. I spot a striking red mug and it calls my name. A white crown perches atop large white letters that read, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” Hmmm. I study it, turn it around several times and finally think   I like this. Looks like it will hold almost two cups, love the red, and what a great message. I buy it.

Next morning I squirrel in my quiet place, the red mug filled with strong, hot coffee, and I look at the words again. It replaces the turquoise mug with the widening crack. I loved that old cup with “Serenity” on one side and “Be still and know that I am God” on the other, but threw it out last week. Afraid of germs hiding in the crack.

I am not by nature a calm person. One of the reasons I need coffee cups with calming messages. My oldest son discovered that when he was three. It was Christmas and we’d put up a scraggily tree with a balance problem the night before. From the back bedroom where I was changing sheets, I heard three-year-old Buddy holler, “Mommy, the Christmas tree is falling.” With a shriek I sprinted down the hall to survey the calamity. Sure enough, there was the tree on the floor, glass bulbs shattered around.

I straightened it as best I could, instructed my toddler not to get too close, and headed back down the hall to my task. A few minutes later, same scenario, “Mommy, the Christmas tree is falling,” only this time when I came flying into the living room, I only saw a mischievous freckle-faced boy with a huge grin standing beside the perfectly upright tree.

Because I have an alarm button with an easy trigger, I can’t tell you how many times Buddy Poulsen has pushed it. Into his 40s. And he transferred the information to other family members so that now my grandchildren push the button at every opportunity. I still jump!

History

Imagine my surprise when I followed an impulse to Google the phrase “Keep Calm and Carry On” and discovered it had a history. The crown puzzled me and I thought there might be some explanation. Turns out this was the third poster in a series created during World War II. Keep Calm and Carry On was the last in the series drawn up by the UK Ministry of Information in 1939. It was their attempt to prop up the morale of Britain – a message from King George VI. British World War II Posters.

All three posters bore the image of the king’s crown with stark white text on a bold red background. Though 2.5 million were printed, this last poster was never distributed. At the point of imminent invasion it would post, but invasion never happened.

After a copy was found by a Northumberland second-hand bookstore, the owners framed and hung it near the cash register in their shop. Because it received so much attention, and was in public domain, Stuart and Mary Manley began to print copies of the poster. Between 2001 – 2009 the Manleys sold 41,000 copies of the red and white poster. Brits loved it. Keep Calm and Carry On symbolizes their whole demeanor – serve tea as bombs fall.

What about Us?

I wonder as I close the Wikipedia article, Hasn’t our king said the same thing? “Don’t be anxious about anything.” “Don’t worry about your life.” “I will keep you in perfect peace if your heart rests in me.” “You’re going to face troubling times, but keep calm and carry on, I have overcome the world.” Pretty close.

I’m so glad I found the red mug. Every morning when I sip coffee it reminds me that everything’s going to be okay. The other day, I came in from talking with someone outside. My grandson, Kyden, was hiding behind the door and when I walked in, he jumped out and I screamed like a 13 year old. Some habits are hard to break!

Lord, may Your calmness settle into my spirit this day. Let me drink deeply of those quiet waters that flow from an inner knowing that You are in control. Always. No matter what I see or hear or feel. Amen.