Monday, November 11, 2013

Remembrance Day 2013

Like many people this morning, I awoke with a bit of a heavy heart.  It is Remembrance Day and it is a day where we take time to solemnly think about our freedom.  It is a day where we thank those who bravely serve in our forces and other protective services, those who run towards the danger while many of us run away.  So why is my heart heavy on this day?  Why do I not celebrate those great people?  Their loss is felt not just locally but across the globe.  They leave us wishing we could all be a bit more like them, or at least that is the way I feel.

In Sussex the cenotaph stands tall in the middle of Town and today many people stood around it to Remember.  It was one of the best attended Remembrance Day services I can remember.  Even with the skies threatening snow flurries, people withstood the cold to take off their hats during the prayers and national anthem.  It is a pale suffering given what the soldiers have suffered in the past.  The many kids, not certain why they are there, look up at their parents with inquisitive eyes as their parents try to explain what is going on.  This next generation will hopefully only have to remember and not have to fight.

The day is also a time for me to acknowledge some of those great elderly people who have helped form my life and have had positive influences on the man I have become.  It is great to chat with a couple of them and introduce them to my kids and see a light in their eye as they see it was not in vain.  To all those who serve, thanks so much for giving me a chance to raise a family I hope will do us all proud.

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