Remembrance Day.
Why does saying that sound so much more gut wrenching than if you were to say “November 11th”?
Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. It is a day to honor the brave, and a day to pay tribute to their ultimate sacrifices.
Tomorrow I am taking my Boyz to The Rock. Tomorrow I am taking them home. Tomorrow I will honor them, pay tribute to them, and spend as much time as I need to remember them and how deeply they have touched my life.
My dearest truest friends, 5 incredible men, gave their lives for their country. They gave their lives for a cause they really didn’t see a reason to believe in. They gave their lives for a foreign country they felt was beyond saving.
I went to my follow up support group today for the first time in weeks. I am really not coping well with this at all. I feel like I have lost them all over again. Satna reminded me today that all that is required of me is baby steps toward healing and moving past this. My steps are so small it feels like I am not even moving, but apparently, acknowledging my reluctance to accept their deaths is a huge step.
I haven’t quite worked out how I am going to drive the 4 hours to Jasper…I’ve got my CD’s burnt and they are full of music that recalls memories of them. I’ve got my route plotted by map so I can stop and see some of the crazy statues and re-live some of my favorite moments I spent with them. I’ve got my hotel room booked. I’ve managed to convince Lance that this trip is something I need to do alone…but I haven’t figured out how I am going to keep the car on the road when I get blinded by tears.
Tomorrow is going to be one of the worst days in my entire life. Tomorrow is Remembrance Day.
Please take 2 minutes out of your lives and pause to remember those who have fallen. Remember the sacrifice the men and women who came before us gave to us so we could live in a democratic free society. Remember.
The Story Behind The song / video above: On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store's PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.
Terry was impressed with the store's leadership role in adopting the Legion's "two minutes of silence" initiative. He felt that the store's contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.
When eleven o'clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the "two minutes of silence" to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.
Terry's anger towards the father for trying to engage the store's clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, "A Pittance of Time".
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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