Today, as I took my time to remember, my thoughts have been on the past , not for an hour, but for the whole of the day.
I was born September 1956! World War 2 ended September 1945! Suddenly I realized, in the pages of history, my birth was simply moments after the war. Perhaps that is why Remembrance Day is so important to me?
I understood today, why old people seem so alien to young folks. It is because we live in such different worlds. Old people have a past, a suitcase full of memories, that the young can simply not understand.
I began school in 1962, the very first year we moved to Stewart. For reasons I cannot explain, some of the memories from way back then, are vivid in my mind, while clearly book learning might have evaporated. I can see the large picture of Queen Elizabeth in her crown watching all of us in our little desks with the hole the inkwell would sit in (yep) . I wrote with a fountain pen, and then the more modern cartridge ink pen. I learned to curtsy, and the boys learned to bow, in case royalty ever arrived. Yes, we had to wear dresses to school, so I know when curtsying , one holds the right side of their bottom hem, between two fingers. Trust me..again, why this remained with me, I do not know!!
We said the Lord's prayer every morning, standing beside our desks. We got smacked by the yardstick, a ruler, the blackboard erasers. We sat on stools in the corner of the classroom, facing the wall for punishment. There was the ever present "strap", the fear of a phonecall to our parents. Notes from the teacher were delivered with quaking hands, without a moments thought of not handing them over.
Back when I was a child, Remembrance day was not a "holiday". I doubt anyone slept in that day. It was a day that was recognized by our community with as much heart and soul as July 1st. All school children would be at the local Cenotaph, in fact, it is likely almost the whole town would show up. Our Cenotaph was a fair walk from town. Back in those days, it was along the road to the dock and Hyder. It was never nice weather on this day, and perhaps feeling a little of the cold and wet, gave us a glimpse into what those we honour on this day suffered? The Cenotaph had a plaque, I remember it clearly, with names, some of which I recognized the surnames. Those were surnames of some who stood in silence, see, in 1962, these would have been the parents, or wives, or children of those who perished in World War 1 and 2. See, today, I realized, War was very recent to the child I was.
I joined Girl Guides when I was old enough, come November 11th, we were on parade, beside the Legion members, the RCMP, the Boy Scouts, the Missionaries, the Mayor, and all those who could not, and would not forget!
I did not grow up with air raid sirens..although I did live with the Cold War. But, I know now, many of those who stood beside me, back then, had indeed lived in fear of that sound. I didn't know what war brides were back then, but..I know there were some. We had people from other countries stand in silence. I had no clue what they had suffered then, but now I realize, they lived with war. My school friend with a Japanese Mother..who indeed lived in an internment camp in our country! German friends whose parents had escaped in war time, Dutch friends, the same...
I grew older, and in High school, once again, War entered my world. A classmate from Alaska, drafted..He lived just a couple of miles down the road, and suddenly, one minute he is in the middle of Science Lab, and the next, his country is telling him he has to grow up immediately, and go to battle.
So, again, perhaps because it is still so clear to this old mind, why we take this time to stop, the time to place a Poppy by our heart, a moment of silence for those long since passed, or, sadly for those young lives that we seldom hear about, fighting today..Perhaps this is why so many do not understand the importance, because it is too far away from them?
It is NOT a holiday!! It is NOT just a time to put a few dollars in the box to purchase a red poppy with a pin. It is, however, a time to understand, through a fluke of fate, we now live in a time we are not ordered or, even feel obligated, to protect our home and our loved ones, by going to battle.
My past has given me the opportunity to remember so much that those today, never had. It has only taken me till today, to recognize how privileged I have been, to be a part of over 6 decades. So, I will try to understand the world today, as selfish, and self centered as it seems. I will tell myself it is because so few understand our lives could have been so different, if the outcome of War had been in favour of the opposition, on more than one occasion.
Lest we forget...
