Reposted by request.November 11th.
Of course at the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month I will be holding a salute for two minutes to honour the Fallen.
I hope to gather afterward with my Brothers at Arms to remember good times.
Singer/songwriter Terry Kelly wrote a powerful and poignant song a few years ago called A Pittance of Time. If you've never heard or seen it, please take five minutes out of your life to watch it. Just click on the blog title to see it.
I certainly can't add anything to his words and feelings except to repeat a sentiment I've heard recently...
...Some are born brothers, others earn it.
Lest We Forget.
DJW
1 comment:
In total honesty I must count myself among the idiots who are perpetually forgetting about Rememberance Day. It's not a matter of disrespect, but wrapping my mind around the concept of time is like trying to teach a dog to sing Christmas carols: there's hope, perhaps, but the chances aren't great.
On few occasions have I been lucky enough to be in the company of other, more temporally sensitive individuals when the time comes around, and so I make it a point to pay my tribute whenever I am reminded of it all, knowing that at the designated moment, I will probably fail to do so.
It may be true what my generation seems to believe: that war is always a great mistake. I do not equate that, however, with a belief that it is always a mistake to fight - to defend something that is dear and valuable. You can't control the stupidity that leads to war, but you can decide to do the best you can to stop it from destroying you. I hope that more people my age will learn in time to make that distinction.
To me, the sacrifice of our veterans is a part of a larger picture - one of many things in life which I must meet with thanks, respect, and contemplation. Outside of the frivolities and mundanities of life one finds, I believe, its true meaning. It is complex and very elusive, and I am not enlightened enough to hold it in my mind for more than an instant. If I do not continue to pursue it, it will slip into obscurity. That is why I am grateful for Rememberance Day. A long time ago, someone wiser than myself realized that it is in our nature to forget the most important things in life. Even though I may be too inept to observe the ritual the way I'm supposed to, it still reminds me of what I hold dear, and that I owe my life and my freedom to the goodwill of others.
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