Living la Vida Fearless by Living la vida fearless

If not for them there would be no us....

Remembrance day is fast approaching. What will you do? Will you spend some time reflecting? Does it mean anything to you at all? I was brought up in a culture where we honoured Remembrance day with a true day of honour. We had a day off school, the businesses were closed, the banks were shut down and everybody went to the celebrations. Then when I had children it was different....the schools were open but the kids honoured and reflected and stood quiet for a minute at 11am. Now, it's just another day to some people. A generation has grown up hardly knowing what it is we who are older understand. And my generation is losing our parents and grand parents who fought in the Great War for which Remembrance Day was created.

That got me thinking. I had dinner with a great bunch of ladies tonight. It's a networking group I belong to called the Company of Women. There are at least 150 members and the feeling is that of just going home when we get together. We all catch up and talk about families and life and then, work, if there is time. But the relationships are created and the connections are made and people do work together.

I sat at a table with a lovely group of women. One of them was telling me about her family and Remembrance Day. The town she lives in now is the town she grew up in. It was farm country then...The farms are long gone, the families spread around the globe or further. My friend told me about a monument that was created for the people who fought in the Great War who had come from her town. She was asked if she knew anybody who might have had some connections to this monument, whose name should be included....

Her family...her very own family had been involved. He had been a pilot. He had fought and he had come home. His name went on the monument. She went to see it etched in the stonework. She cried. She didn't know she would feel like that but it was ok. When she told us the story I wanted to cry too. There is something about the honouring of those who have done great work for others that is worthy of remembering. A monument, a letter, a song, a poem...whatever it takes.

Then I realized something else as the evening passed and the laughter intensified. Were it not for him I would not have met her. Had her relative not faced his fears to protect what he thought was precious we would probably not have met. The world would have been different. We wouldn't have shared our little chuckles together, admired each other's little bits of shiny jewels on our wrists, told stories of our aging dogs and our traveling children.

Honour those who have gone before. Were it not for them facing their fears we would not be here now to face ours. As for us....face your fears with courage and conviction and know that it is right. It will be hard, it will be messy and, I promise you, things will never be the same afterwards.

To all who go before me...my gratitude. To the families who have lost loved ones, I honour you and your sacrifice and am grateful for the freedoms offered up by those you love. When Novemeber 11 arrives take a few minutes to give thanks. It's a small sacrifice compared to what others have done for us.

Living la vida fearless, Jan