Nov 11th

Today I'll wear a poppy,

remembering all the young men and women who fought in the wars,

especially my Dad.

Peter Sinclair ~ Flight Lieutenant ~ Royal Canadian Air Force ~ World War 2

Often our Remembrance Days are dark and cold with freezing rain or sleet - almost as if the weather tries to match the solemn mood of the day. But today we have a bit of blue sky and the sun is breaking through.

Our little group of veterans dwindles each year, some members in wheel-chairs or leaning on canes for support.  But they still march as smartly as they can to the sound of the pipes and drums. I have always felt such admiration for them, standing at attention in November's raw chill, while The Last Post plays for all their fallen friends. I wonder what feelings and memories stir when they hear the words that are spoken during each Remembrance Day service:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them.

The weight of those words grow greater each passing year.

Today our community will gather and stand with them.

And we will remember.

Comments

[ellen b]

We shall remember them...
I was really brought in to the mighty price Canada and England paid in lives during WWI in the last book of the Anne series and other books I've read from British authors.
Dear's dad served in WWII as did all his uncles. They all came home alive. My father and his relatives were in Iran during WWII and came to the states shortly after. Your father is a handsome guy!

[kelli]

thanks for this, kathie. i can only imagine that the ties to those who fought are more strongly felt in a smaller, tight-knit community such as the one we experienced on your island. i just finished wendell berry's hannah coulter, part of which took place during this time and in a small community. as i had only one great uncle die in this war, who smiled at me from an old black frame when i was little, i cannot personally share in what this rememberance means. but i will travel to these small, woven communities in my mind and remember with you all there.

[jill]

My dad, a WWII vet regularly informs me how many WWII vets are dying each day. It doesn't seem possible that they will soon all be gone. The US Library of Congress has gathered as many of their narratives as possible, and I am thankful that their thoughts will always be accessable to anyone who wants to listen. I hope Canada has a similar program...either locally or on a national level.

[Carolyn]

Hi Kathie,
Great post! Nice picture of your Dad too. Thank you for th book idea ,I will look for it .I have read several over the years but not that one.
Love this weather

Take care,
Carolyn

[faith]

wonderful post. My dad served in the Korean war as did my father in law. My grandpa served in WW2 and my nephew on my husband's side will be leaving for Afghanistan (national guard) in January.
Thanks for this wonderful article!!

[Judy]

What a lovely Remembrance Day post...and tribute to your father. Here's hoping the sun shone on your community as you gathered to remember today.