Deuteronomy 4:9
“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”
I remember as a young girl going up to the senitaf for the yearly memorial service. The moment of silence and the 21 gun salute. We would walk the great wall and read the many names of men and woman who gave their lives fighting for our freedom. I learned as a young child that this was the right thing to do because these many men and woman fought for our freedom and they have earned our respect. Without them amagine where we could be today.
I remember as a child I always respected, and was loyal to the veterens. It was something as children we were taught. I never really knew the actual feeling of losing a loved one in the war. I just honoured them as I was taught. I don’t think I ever saw a veteren as being more then an older aged person. You looked at them and the wrinkles and looks apon their faces told the whole story. Another thing is these older people were once young. In time I realized it is not all older people but many young people. I had such great respect and it was an important thing as a child. When I got older I still respected, and honoured our vetrens. When I looked at my life I realized that I respected but I tended to really forget the many things and values I had learned as a child. When I was a child rememberance day was a statitory holiday. Today the schools have their services but it is not like before I soon realized times had changed and so had I.
That was until a couple of years ago, when I came face to face with reality, first hand. Little did I know that I would experince it once again just over a year ago. Each time these where not only loved ones. They were also very young men. They had their lives taken from them far to young. These men both served and protected our country to the best of their abilities. They went above and beyound the call of duty. They gave their lives for us. These two young men are just two of many men and woman who give their lives for our freedom. I have also had a nephew, a couple of cousins and a couple friends who fight daily to protect our country. These people have made me come to an understanding that I never really had as a child. No one made any of these men and woman go. This was a choice that many make today. They feel they have a duty to serve and protect our country. They are aware that they may never see their loved ones again. This is a sacrific that they are willing to make for us. How can we take them for granted.
I have made it a priority to make sure my children have learned the meaning of Rememberance Day. As early as this morning my youngest daughter was getting ready for school all excited about the rememberance day service. She knew that at 11:00 she would not be with me. So she stopped and said mom can we have a moment silence before school for our friend Larry and all the other soldiers who have died and fight for us. So in my kitchen we had a small prayer and a moment of silence for all the many soliders who give of themselves daily. This is what rememberance day is really about. It is passing on the torch to our younger ones. It is teaching them about these many men and woman. It is making sure to pass on that message to their children just like our parents and loved ones have passed it on to us. These many men and woman give their lives for us. The least we can do is take the time to make sure that they will never be forgotten.
