It was a cold grey November morning as I put the trash and recycling boxes to the curb. Then, I remembered, it's Remembrance Day. It's my day off. Did I really want to spend a good chunk of the day standing in the cold at the local Cenotaph? The short answer was an emphatic "No!" I even almost convinced myself that one of the things my Dad fought for in the Second World War was the freedom to choose to not attend. But I try to make a point of attending when I'm not working.
After mulling it over, while enjoying a second cup of coffee, I finally ended up giving myself a much needed psychological kick in the butt. After a quick cleanup, I grabbed my camera bag and went out the door.
The main street in town, Grand River Street, has been under construction for quite some time. As I made my way up the street, I noticed that the construction workers, in their neon yellow vests, had stopped working and were making their way up to the Cenotaph area. There would be no construction noise during the service.
As I got to the Cenotaph the weather got worse, there was a cold wind and flurries of wet snow. I wandered about the area and made some photographs. Of course, fool that I am, the camera that I was using was not one of the weatherproof ones that I own. No matter. When I wasn't making photos, I shielded it from the snow as best I could with my arm and wiped it with a cloth that I had in the camera bag. It, like me, survived the inclement weather.
And maybe that's what it's about. I'm always amazed at Remembrance Day services. The people, everyone from elderly seniors to young school children, will brave the invariably bad November weather to pay homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It's kind of symbolic. In paying tribute, we endure an hour or so of adversity so that, ultimately, we can appreciate the freedoms of our existence. It's part of being a Canadian. We always have to say thanks.
We will remember them.
As the Remembrance Day ceremony ended and those in the parade were leaving the Cenotaph area, a flight of Canada Geese lifted off from the river and flew over the crowd.
It doesn't get much more Canadian then that.
... more later
No comments:
Post a Comment