Today begins Veterans Week, which leads up and into Remembrance Day. I'm not sure why, but I get very emotional about Remembrance Day. I haven't served in the armed forces, I don't have any close friends or family serving, and I haven't experienced the horror and tragedy of war. I think my emotions come from a mixture of patriotism and a sense of pride in my family's history. I love this country, its grandeur and majesty, its people, its history, its influence on the world stage (yes, I believe that Canada still moves and shakes politically, just ever so subtly), its openness and its freedoms. I had a grandfather on my mother's side who served valiantly with the Canadian Army in Italy during WWII. My grandparents on my father's side experienced and overcame the trials and tribulations of German occupation in Holland in the same war. I hope that I, my spouse and my children will never experience what my grandparents experienced. I am very grateful for their contribution to providing peace in this broken world. I will wear my poppy proudly this week and beyond, will probably have tears in my eyes at the school assembly, will spend time with the Sprouts explaining what Remembrance Day is all about, and will pray that Peace will come soon and reign forever.
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