I also spent a good part of my youth just a few miles from Guelph - which was hometown to “In Flander’s Field” author, Col. John McRae. Somehow, living so close to the home of the doctor who sat on a battlefield and penned the words “…if ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep...” made me realize something at a very young age:
If these brave young men & women hadn’t gone overseas, if they hadn’t accepted the inherent risks of being in the military, if they hadn’t taken on the task of protecting our country, our freedom, our rights… well, if not for them - you & I might be living in a very different world right now.
In my parent’s house, there was never any doubt that we’d wear a poppy proudly on our coats in the fall. We bought our poppies as soon as they went on sale, & replaced them as they disappeared from our lapels due to wind or wear. We never had a lot of money, but we never begrudged the few cents each year that went to buying poppies.
As we do today, we wore our poppies over our hearts, to show our love of our country and to illustrate how the commitment of our servicemen touched our hearts. I’ve made sure my own children do the same, and I’ve made sure they know about the sacrifice of the men and women who are represented by that little red flower.
And as I have for over 40 years - I’ll stand proud & silent at 11 minutes after 11am, on the 11th day of the 11th month - celebrating the safe return of our veterans and quietly grieving the rows of crosses in Flander’s Field and other cemetaries around the world...
...hundreds and hundreds of crosses - each one representing a soldier who has given his life in service to his country.
...each one representing a family with a member now missing, an empty seat at the table…
...a father… a brother… a son… a cousin or a neighbour...
And I’ll be grateful and humbled all over again.
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