Remembrance Day means a lot to me. My Grandpa, who I was incredibly close with was a vet. Since I moved to BC in 1996, I have only missed two ceremonies.
So today we got up and went out, but this time we tried a different one. A much smaller ceremony in Esquimalt. We actually showed up super early, which is not like us. So we stood on the sidewalk with a clear view of the cenotaph.
This is not good.
See, I have been to so many of these ceremonies but I have never actually watched one of them. The ceremonies in Vancouver and Victoria draw huge crowds - there is just no way. And anyway, my usual routine with it is to simply stand in the rain and cry.
So this year we had a clear view because we were half an hour early. As I stood there and watched the veterans file in to their seats I was already a hot mess. Nothing had started yet!
Thank goodness the parade filed in and stood between us and the seating, then all the people around us moved forward. Phew - cause watching the veterans is just too much.
I hope everyone got out to participate in a ceremony or at the very least took a moment today and thought about all the people who have given their lives in war. It's so important.
3 comments:
My granddad was also a vet. Remembrance Day was his favourite day of the year. We thought it was fitting that the year he had his stroke, in August, he hung on stubbornly until the morning of Nov 11. Wanted to make sure we'd never forget it. The funeral was a sea of poppies.
I only wish that my students could understand the importance of the day... They don't seem to get it and of course, few of their grandparents have served....
Lovely post.
Yes lovely post.
I don't usually go to a ceremony, but I do try and keep the day "quiet" so to speak. On Friday my little nephew came over and we hung out for four hours just the two of us. We went for a walk to the park and I saw that he had a poppy on his jacket! He never met my grandpa who was a vet and passed before he was born, but I love that even at three he shows his respect. Yes I'm sure he doesn't fully understand but it was touching none the less.
I agree this is a lovely post.
We don't get the day off here, but we had a nice little ceremony at school, and the kids were quiet during the moment of silence which was nice. Of course, I prefaced it with "dire consequences if I see a cell phone", but they did take it seriously.
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