Remembrance Day

Canada Bereft
One of the sculptures at the 
Canadian National War Memorial
at Vimy Ridge in
France.

This Remembrance Day I feel sorry for all of the people --
soldiers and civilians -- who have died, and continue to die
in wars.  The last time I checked there were 32 conflicts 
going on currently. It feels especially sad that we haven't
learned that wars don't work -- they just kill people.

I think of one of my students in a writing class, when we
wrote journals about a perfect day.  He described a 
perfect day in the war in Afghanistan.  How his division
attacked a village.  He was 19 years old when he joined
the army.  As he was reading in front of the class, he
almost cried shouting, "it's not the Highway of Heroes,
it's the Highway of Murderers," and ran out of the classroom.

As a girl I was an Ottawa School Patrol (school crossing
guard).  We helped people cross the street.  And we got to
go by bus down to the war memorial on Remembrance Day.
We marched wearing our school patrol white belts with the
soldiers and police. We felt so special. I'm glad I didn't
grow up to be a soldier, and my thoughts are with my
student today who did.

Have a working on peace day.