Remembrance Reflections
As Remembrance Day on November 11 and National Indigenous Remembrance Day on November 8 approach, our area pauses to reflect, to give thanks, and to pay tribute to the thousands of brave souls who laid down their lives in the world wars and subsequent peacekeeping missions. The Indigenous peoples, whose history was for far too long overlooked chose to create their own Remembrance day and style on Nov. 8. For too long, their history was overlooked. Thousands of Indigenous individuals volunteered and fought bravely on the front lines, despite facing systemic discrimination and severe barriers to receiving their rightful veterans' benefits. Today we hold in our hearts all who served and who continue to do so, and we remember.
Remembrance looks different for everyone. For some of our aging veterans, it means quietly thinking of the dear friends they lost on distant battlefields. For families, it brings back memories of the long, lonely years spent waiting and praying while loved ones were overseas. For our youngest generation, who have no personal memories of those dark days, it is a time to listen, learn, and carry the torch forward. Yet, in our own ways, we all remember.
The war left no Canadian life untouched, shifting the course of families for generations. My own Dad fought in World War II, and my parents’ journey to the altar always reminds me of the unique hurdles folks faced back then. They had desperately wanted to wed before the war started. However, Dad worked for the bank, and in those days, the bank had strict rules about how much money one had to make before being allowed to marry. Dad didn't make enough, and if they had gone through with it, he would have been forced to quit his job.
When he was finally drafted, they seized their moment, marrying while he was home on a brief leave. So many of that generation have since commented that if they had waited until they felt they had enough money to marry, they would have never wed at all.
All families sacrificed a great deal in those war years. We follow in their footsteps and truly honour their legacy when we resolve to work for the very ideals for which they fought and died. In a way, we are the modern-day soldiers. Our mission is to work for peace and strive for justice for all people. What does that look like in our modern world? To me, it looks like a different kind of battle—one fought by promoting human rights, fostering deep respect, and building understanding and compassion for our neighbours and for all states of belief and unbelief.
May we actively promote a peace where evil is confronted, injustice is exposed, and the vital work of reconciliation becomes a daily part of how we live. Let us choose the path of non-violence, drawing on the timeless insights of all faiths, beliefs, and shared human values to create a better world. Together, let us shape a community rooted in love and understanding. Guided by a Higher Power who never forgets us, let us truly, and prayerfully, remember
