Remembrance Day

As most military families know too well, remembering the fallen is not reserved for a single day of the year.  Many of us have death anniversaries throughout the year, the days where our friends and loved ones were killed.  Remembrance Day is the day that they are all on the brain, that we are reminded why they died.  I find that the weeks before Remembrance Day are harder than any other time of year, at least they are for my family. 

My husband had some friends over for dinner this past weekend and they ended up staying over and having breakfast with us as well.  It reminded me of times when that was a weekly occurrence, before our country went overseas to participate in combat missions, back in the easy days.  It made me think of all the friends that are no longer able to come and visit our home.  I thought of times that our friend Dave slept on the couch after a night out, his quiet demeanor altered by alcohol into a loud, borderline obnoxious comedian.  I smile at the memories that have been left behind and often wish that he could have lived to have a wife and a family.

The days and weeks leading up to November 11th are always a little tougher, fuses are shorter and those eggshells are a little more fragile.  We adjust the best that we can and move forward, we must live each day to the fullest, we are still here, and from the fallen that were in my life, that's what they would have wanted for us to do.  Bagpipes are a touchy spot as they always bring tears to my eyes and I can't get through a Remembrance Day service without tears.  I prefer the outdoor ones because sunglasses can cover a whole lot of watery eyes.  I know that it could have easily been my husband that didn't come home but for some stroke of luck or God's grace, it wasn't his time.  I am a lucky one.

"Someday" doesn't exist in this house, if we can do it today, we will.  No one knows what comes tomorrow and we live for the now.  Now, I can go to the park with my whole family, I can't say that about tomorrow.  But every day when I wake up, I know that I have the safe surroundings for my children to grow because of the men and women who gave their lives to give it to me.  For that, they deserve every ounce of respect I can offer.

I recently saw a story on a Facebook status that reminded me that there are still people who respect why we take the time on Remembrance Day.

Back in September, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Bobcaygeon (north of Peterborough, Ontario) public school, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks from her classroom.

When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks. 'Ms..Cothren, where're our desks?'  She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.  They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.' 'No,' she said.  'Maybe it's our behavior.'
She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.'

And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still, no desks in the classroom.

By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room. The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the desk-less classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom.  Now I am going to tell you.' At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.  Twenty-seven (27) War Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk.

The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.

Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.

My family has been permanently altered by the combat mission in Afghanistan and I count myself VERY lucky.  I still have my soul mate.  PTSD is an awful thing.  It's difficult and unpredictable.  It causes problems on a regular basis.  It changes my life from one moment to the next.  And I am still lucky.  I have had the pleasure and honour of knowing some of the men and women who were killed since 2006.  I had the blessing of my grandfathers influencing my life, both WW2 veterans. 

 

Though sometimes it gets away from me and I complain, I am lucky...