We will remember them

So it's been a while since I posted anything - and it's not due to a lack of things to say! Busy times, and not much time for quiet reflection...that HAS to change. And it will!

So here I am on July 1, 2010, back from my annual pilgrimage to the War Memorial on Water Street. Fortunately today, unlike other years, it didn't rain and it wasn't bitter cold. So as I looked around - I wondered - why are the crowds getting smaller every year? Obviously, I do not mean the veterans, but those of us who every day reap the benefit from their sacrifice. The people we remember and respect today, paid with their lives or suffer the haunting memories of sights that we can't even imagine.

I stood amongst the hundred or so people today, proud that I was there to remember them. As I heard the lone trumpeteer, my mind pictured the repatriation ceremonies of the soldiers who are still fighting for freedom, peace and democracy. So not only was today's service to remember those who had fought and fallen at Beaumont Hamel, but as usual, I found myself thinking of those who are still fighting and falling. It is 2010, and there are still wars...Whatever happended to "the war to end all wars"? Just asking...

I, like most, want our military out of harms way. I do not want to turn on the news and see yet another repatriation ceremony, a flag draped coffin carried across a tarmack. I do not want to see tears on the faces of soldiers as they provide a final shoulder for this soul to rest on. I do not want to hear a lonely salute played for another life lost in the fight for peace... But we will. Sadly, it will happen again...

Regardless of your opinion of war, the military, Canada's mission in Afghanistan, whatever, those who serve and protect deserve our respect. I will be back on November 11 - regardless of the weather. Think about it - what we endure standing for an an hour in the cold, wind and rain, does not compare to what the fallen soldiers and veterans went through and what our military are experiencing right now. As I walk down Water Street, the only 'mines' I'm dodging are the canine ones. I can sacrifice my dry clothing to let them know that I will remember them...

So wherever you are today, my wish for you is that you take a minute to reflect on your freedom, knowing that there are those who are not free. Reflect on your safety, knowing there are those who are not safe. Never lose sight of the fact that there ARE those who are committed to bring democratic luxuries to others. And that, my friends, is the ultimate sacrifice.