Remembrance Day

What does remembrance day mean to you? Do you take the time to remember? Do you buy a poppy to support our veterans, fallen soldiers, or family members of fallen soldiers?

I find as time goes on we have become less sensitive to what November 11th means. Our country is growing in leaps and bounds with different religions, values and principles. But is there not something that we can share and honour together. One being Remembrance Day, no matter what nationality you are, what country of origin you came from ( because we were all immigrants at one time or another) it should be the one day that we could come together and celebrate the lives of those who fought for us.

I walked Hayden and Chase to school today feeling like it was just another day. Hayden was dropped off at his door then Chase at his. But for some reason today it was Hayden I wanted to watch and make sure he was OK, he struggled inside his bag searching for something so I strolled over to see what it was. It was his Lego, no big deal but even then I was not ready to leave, something was keeping me there.

All of a sudden Hayden turns to me with great big tears in his eyes and says "Mommy you forgot my poppy!" I gasp with such sadness. I proceed to tell him "Don't worry baby mommy will get you your poppy no matter what!". He then wipes his tears away and KNOWS mommy is going to come through for him. Thankfully one of the parents said they were selling them in the office, so I make my way quickly around buy two poppies and have Hayden and Chase called to the office.

As I apply both of these poppies on them I give them a kiss and say this is for "Grandpa and all of the other soldiers" they both smile and walk away.

That is where I am struck again with overwhelming  sadness for the lives we have lost from war. I remember growing up and asking my Grandfather what it was like to fight in the war, he never did quite answer me. He always found a way to change the subject. The older I got the more images I saw, the more I understood why he could not tell me about his memories. World war 2 concentration camps, the horror he had to live daily from trying to save people he did not know.

When we are young we have this facination with war, and wanting to know things and how things felt. As time goes on and we grow older our fascinations change and our ability to understand peoples sufferings with out actually knowing the details benefits us and so many others.

Remembrance Day for me is so important to me! It is to remember what we stand and fought for. It is sad to see how our world is choosing not to remember anymore, big commercial stores more concerned about who was going to be the first to get out their Christmas stuff on display instead of holding back and showing our veterans the respect they so rightfully deserve. If it were not for our Veterans would we be able to be so free today, to come and goes as we choose and make the choices in life that we do. It is because of them that we have that freedom!!

So to you Grandpa Thank you! And to all the other soldiers who have lost their lives or live in the here and now of our wars THANK YOU for putting your lives out there for the rest of us and our Country!