today is remembrance day.
in my opinion, remembrance should be a part of our every day.
yet it rarely is.
often, it is just another observed holiday that rolls around once a year. there is often more enthusiasm over the fact that this 'stat holiday' earns us a day off rather than there being a sense of solemnity and deep sense of gratitude attached it. this day is representative of sacrifice, bloodshed and great loss. if one really reflects quietly on it, remembrance (day) is a staggering, gut wrenching thought.
i'd challenge every one to make remembrance a part of every day.
our family has a very personal connection to the military since our son swore in as a private in january 2009. having a son who is a soldier brings war close to home. it impacts all of us deeply. remembrance day is no longer just a one day, once a year holiday that is observed in our home. it is a part of our every day. it's interwoven into daily living - reminders of his choice to pursue a military career are scattered throughout our home. i think the mess in his room would give his second lieutenant a coronary - yet, it is not the mess, but the military gear and uniform scattered within it that gives me one.
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| fatigues mixed in with mess of every day life |
during supper this week, our family was discussing the upcoming remembrance day ceremonies. our conversation became the jumping off point from which this post was formed. taylor mentioned how fed up he was with hearing about kim kardashian and the media firestorm her 72 day marriage created. he went on to express his disgust with the fact that her divorce was breaking news and drew worldwide attention for days and days on end.
coverage of the loss of our military is often a 15 second blurp at the beginning of a news broadcast. sometimes, a soldier's repatriation ceremony and funeral garner coverage...yet that coverage pales in comparison with the furor that celebrity incites. is that because it fails to illicit the widespread, grand scale public interest that celebrity does? what a sad commentary on life - that celebrity "news" trumps and/or overshadows the things that hold meaning and value. loss is lost in that shadow.
at the end of october, kim kardashian,30, ended her marriage.
at the end of october, master corporal byron greff, 26, was killed in a suicide bombing in afghanistan. he left behind a wife and 2 young children.
what "stat" is newsworthy?
i hope that makes people pause and reflect.
in the line of duty: canada's casualities
remembrance should be a part of our every day.
this week, michael jackson's physician was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. the death of michael jackson and the subsequent court case has captured the nation and the media's attention. it is a terrible thing that michael jackson died the way he did. i'm not here to dispute that. nor minimize his creative genius or suggest that his contributions to the music world were not sizable or impressive. his death is sad and his children have been orphaned.
but there are many military men and women who have and who will lose their lives protecting our rights and freedoms. and their children will be orphaned as a result. how much coverage and attention is given to their tragic losses?
should those losses be remembered only one day a year?
remembrance should be a part of our every day.
becoming a soldier is a calling. it is not a casual afterthought. we have a son who has chosen to make this his life's career. it is what he wants to do with his life...even if it costs him his life. i can't fathom that. that is with me every day. it is with our family every day. his decision impacts our family deeply. we support him, we are fiercely proud but we worry where this calling will take him - and if it will take him from us.
"A soldier must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. War leaves no soldier unwounded."
soldiers go to war and if they come home, they come home changed. you can make a difference in a wounded soldiers life today and every day. visit wounded warriors to find out how.
remembrance should be a part of our every day.
"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die."
our military live that as an oath...on our behalf.
we salute and honor your courage. we thank you for your service and sacrifice. yesterday. today. and tomorrow.
in our home, remembrance is a part of our every day.
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