Remembrance and Hope

Today is a day of remembrance, of reflection, of collective sorrow, or shared pain. Somewhere in time, there have been moments of intensity, overwhelming emotion and incredible hardship. And as a nation we have come to this moment.

Today is a day of circumstance and a day of quiet joy. Finding time to mark a silent minute of respect, a day to cuddle together with loved ones, an hour to share a laugh and break some bread and know, in the corners of your heart, that these moments are only possible because of someone else's sacrifice is enough to make anyone pause and breathe a silent prayer of gratitude.

Every year we try to provide a moment of cheer and goodwill to someone who is less fortunate than we are. Usually this includes charities like the Samaritan's Purse (Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes), Santa's Anonymous (or sometimes Santa's Not-As-Anonymous where we have actually gotten the names of a family and have pulled together a hamper and gifts specifically for that family). And this year we have found a cause that is a bit closer to Dwayne's heart than to mine: Chosen Soldier.

Chosen Soldier is a program that matches soldiers serving in Afghanistan and ordinary Canadian citizens who wish to send cheer packages, emails and letters of support--especially over holidays, but generally while deployed. It is less of a "holiday giving" type activity and more of an on-going support that we can share with the kids now that they are getting to the age where they might begin to see the world is not as rosy and secure all of the time. We want them to know that their actions, even from a distance, can have an impact on the world. I want them to capture the essence of hope.

Dreadful as it may seem, I am always thinking about writing and yet do not seem to find the time to sit here and write out the thoughts that buzz around. It is my determination that I should do so more often since it really helps to clarify the state of affairs, both in my head and in my house.

All of my friends have fallen off the blogging bandwagon, me included. It is difficult to admit but I felt more included and informed when I could read people's thoughts, rather than just try to presume a tone or feeling from the one-liner Facebook updates that have replaced blog updates. But we can not change the actions of others without first taking upon those actions ourselves, so here I am.

On this day of remembrance, where we celebrate the heroes of our times, the unyielding courage in the faces of adversities that we can not even begin to fathom, I would also like to take a moment, silent or not, to celebrate you. You who are the cornerstones of my heart, you who have cried with me, laughed with me, felt my pains and cheered my accomplishments. You who have your own courageous moments and times of tribulation. You are my heroes.

It is my hope, onthis day of reflection, that my children will know the love that we share and that despite the distances that separate us, you are always in our thoughts.