Remembrance Day

What do you do on Remembrance Day? I don’t have any books handy that talk about Remembrance Day and it seems so wrong to not talk about it for that reason so I’m just going to say a few words about what I do.

The first thing I think about is my uncle’s birthday, it’s today and it’s something I think about because it’s on Remembrance Day. It’s just like I remember my cousin’s birthday because it falls on Guy Fawkes Day. I don’t remember the rest of my cousins, aunts and uncles, just those two. I should also mention my sister who was born on ANZAC Day. It’s interesting how three of my family were born on notable days.

The other thing I think about is my great-uncle who was a pilot during WWII and died over France. His grave is one of many, many other graves of people who died fighting and I hope to see it for myself one day. It’s in a beautiful place in France and I can never recall the name of it but I’ve seen photos and it’s beautiful. The family has talked about him a lot over the years so I feel like I know him even though he died many years before I was born. My personal opinion is that people should talk about their deceased family and friends as that way they never truly die. It’s an awkward balancing act to ensure you live in the present while remembering the past but I’m sure it’s possible to do.

This leads me to think about all those people who did their best during all the wars over the centuries, I just like to dwell on them for a bit.

What do you do on Remembrance Day?