I remember wearing a poppy.
A bright red, careful-not-to-pin-your-finger, poppy, that I displayed proudly on my winter jacket every year. I remember everyone wore a poppy. I remember sitting numb-bottomed in school assembly, wearing my poppy that I’d transferred from my coat to my chemise, while old gentlemen spoke of a war I didn’t understand. And, boy could they talk!
I also remember wreaths and legion teas and parades and silent minutes and no school. But I don’t remember ever understanding why this holiday was so important. There weren’t any presents or hidden candies or cinnamon heart love letters, but there was a lot of fuss.
Now, at age twenty-four, I continue to question the holiday. Not on its purpose, as I am immensely thankful to the people who fought for my freedoms of which I cherish. No, I question its inception, and why there are still soldiers who are fighting overseas, in a war that doesn’t seem to exist here, in my cozy Canadian apartment.
But, despite my aversion to war, I don’t want to spend this Remembrance Day questioning our government in angry discussions around a pitcher of Pilsner. I’d like this year to serve as a reminder to be grateful for my freedoms and gifts and life, not only on November 11th, but every day.
I’ve always experienced this holiday either through an unwavering blind following or a pointless bitter aversion and mixed in all of that, a lack of compassion to people who fought for my right to think and act freely. I wish it had not been necessary. I wish people everywhere had these rights, but the truth is, even in a free society you have to fight every day for your rights, and you have to choose to express them. Maybe holding a gun to someone’s head isn’t the best way to fight, but neither is ignoring them.
So, this year, my Remembrance Day resolution is to take my silent minute to truly be thankful rather than counting down the seconds. Perhaps I’ll even make a wish. It is 11/11/11 after all.
Photo Credit
Microsoft Office Clip Art Collection
Guest Author Bio
Stephanie Hall
Stephanie hails from the snapping Alberta prairies and now plays coastal babe in Victoria.
This is exactly what more people need to write about. It’s not set in stone, it’s not clear. It is becoming a day that is increasingly difficult for our generation to relate to. Especially those who do not believe in the brutality of war. The aversion to Remembrance Day is not to support that but it is easy to see why many people could believe that to be true. I wrote about why I stood in a wet field this past Monday, and it was good because I did it for reasons I believed in. It is easy to get swept up in the fierceness and passion that surrounds the day, but it is better to get swept up in reflecting on what your own thoughts and feelings are.
Thank you.
Hannah