Time to Remember

When I first traveled to Europe in the 60s, even though the Second World War had ended two decades earlier, the signs of that dark chapter in history were everywhere. I remember driving through towns where piles and piles of rubble marked the spots where homes, businesses and even majestic cathedrals had once stood. And in talking to people it was clear that everyone had lost someone to war. A harsh reality they certainly never forgot.

However, the sight that brought tears to my eyes was a military cemetery where crosses marking the graves of fallen soldiers stood in perfect and seemingly never-ending rows. So many young lives forever lost!

We in North America tend to forget all those who went to fight the Germans and the Japanese and never came back as well as those who came back forever marked by the battles they fought. We must remember them and make certain our grandchildren remember how much they gave to guarantee freedom.

Of course, our grandchildren are no doubt more aware of the current wars. It seems that until recently veterans were old men. Today, they are young men and women we know or have known who continue to fight for freedom and justice.

It is sad that these have to be gained with loss of life. I can only hope humanity will one day experience an era when peace reigns supreme throughout the world. Perhaps it is too much to expect of human nature, as the above photo is captioned, but in the meantime November is a time to remember. A time to remember those who came before us and gave us so much as well as those still fighting for us today. A time to remember how very fortunate we are for their sacrifice.

It’s November, let’s remember, lest we forget.