Remembrance…
I’ve put aside the blog that I was writing for publication yesterday. I was more than halfway through it and I couldn’t finish as the lead up to today was filling my thoughts. I will finish it. Of that I have no doubt and I expect I will publish it next Sunday. However, I felt the need to write the blog that follows.
Today is Remembrance Day. As I do every year, I attended a Remembrance Day service this morning. Last year I went to my hometown and followed it with a visit to my uncle. I ended it with a trip to the Legion (alone, as my uncle wasn’t up to all those people). This past Friday evening I was in my hometown legion. It’s a very different experience these days - much quieter. The Legion of my childhood was pretty busy - lots of people stopped in after work or on their way home. Heaven knows my dad did all too often. The Legion of my childhood was foundational in my community, in a way that doesn’t seem to exist today. We all knew it as the place that honoured veterans. A place where you had to be a member to enter or be signed in by one. There was a link to the World Wars and Korea. Military members were always welcomed with claps on the back and smiles.
Today, I attended the service in our village. It is organized by the local Legion. Although the colour party and parade was small, I was pleased to see a large turnout including children from each of our local schools. A lot of businesses in the village were closed, opening only after the service at 12 noon. Respect. It’s one of the reasons this village feels safe. The people of the village, by showing up, made it clear that even though World War I ended more than 100 years ago and World War II has been over almost 80 years, this memorial still matters. The extraordinary number of wreaths that were laid at our cenotaph, not just on behalf of a business or group but in honour of a solider was heartwarming. Though long gone, they are still remembered.
I have always considered Remembrance Day to be a critical moment in my year. We must remember the events of the past. We must learn from the past or we are doomed to repeat it. We are human and make mistakes but if we can take the time to attend a Remembrance Day service then we are taking a step toward a positive future. For me this is not about supporting war. It’s about being grateful for those who put their own lives on the line so that I don’t go to bed fearful. It’s about thanking those who did what needed to be done to ensure that I live in a country which has not had to rebuild after bombing runs. It’s in gratitude that I attend a service each year.
I’ve been thinking about the freedoms with which we are blessed. I am free to live where I want. I am free to share my opinions without fear of reprisal. I am free to attend whatever church I want. I am free to go to school and learn about the world in which I live. I am free to walk alongside a man and not behind him. I am free to be friends with whomever I choose. I can live on my own safely. I am free to hold a job and earn my own paycheque. I am free to listen to whatever music moves me and watch whatever television show holds my interest.
Recent events have made me question what those freedoms mean today. In Amsterdam a group of Israeli soccer supporters were attacked and beaten after a match. Eight teenagers in Toronto were charged with second degree murder in the swarming death of a homeless man. I listened to someone complain about how immigrants to our country are making us give up our culture. A person who has made fun of those with disabilities, called for insurrection, regularly puts down anyone who disagrees with him and campaigned on the idea of locking up those who disagree is the U.S. president-elect. Is it freedom to be able to attack those who have different faiths or ethnicity? Is free speech meant to be so free that you can tell lies without ever being questioned? I think we’ve lost our way but the large attendance at our cenotaph today gives me hope. Those school children were given the opportunity to learn from the veterans and Legion members. At the beginning of our service, serving members of the Forces, retired veterans, and currently serving first responders were all asked to raise their hands. They were thanked for their service to our community, to our nation and to our world. All of us in attendance got a chance to see the faces of people who have and who continue to put their lives on the line for us.
Where I raised my son there was no school on this day so I made sure we always attended a service. [Interestingly, the service closest to us was held indoors so he never grew up knowing the finger numbing cold that can happen on this day.] Today was mild, although breezy. Definitely the weather was good for today’s event. When I think of the years when November 11th was a day with bitter cold or snow I think about those men and women who were on the front lines in Europe during World Wars I and II and on all the battlefields across the globe. One hour of my year spent in slight discomfort remembering them and their sacrifice should be nothing. One measly hour to give them the respect and honour that they are due.
Today we were called to remember. To remember that men and women continue to stand in front of us, shielding us from danger for our right to vote, to live in safe communities, to worship where we wish and love whom we want. In remembrance we are asked to take up the torch. To take on their quarrel with the foe. (Reference to In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae.) To make sure those who have gone before have not died in vain. To all those brave men and women who fought before and to all those who continue to step up and protect, thank you for your service.
I sat on my porch this morning, drinking my tea and feeling grateful for all my blessings.