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Happiness Tuesdays

Rights & Freedom

The Cost of Our Freedom

Here in Canada, it’s almost Remembrance Day - a day when we remember the cost of our freedom.

Remembrance Day (in Canada) is a reminder of the end of the hostilities in the First World War. It’s a reminder to us of the sacrifice that was paid in honour of our freedom. Many lives were lost in that war and many lives that were not lost were drastically altered through injury and mental illness. Since then Remembrance Day has become a reminder to us of all those who have served our country - those already gone and those still here with us.

I have many family members who have served our Country in different capacities and many of them have experienced the atrocities of war. Their lives have been altered because of their service. 

When I stop to think about the cost of my freedom -when I actually think of the devastation so many people faced, it makes me so grateful for the bravery and sacrifice that has been made for my benefit (and the benefit of many others).

You might not be in Canada, so Remembrance Day on November 11th might not mean anything to you, but I’m sure if you look back at your country’s history you will see many examples of sacrifice for your freedom.

It’s one of those things that we often fail to see and remember in the busyness of our everyday lives. That’s why it’s so good for us to have days where we are intentional about remembering the cost of our freedom. 

As November 11th approaches, I find myself so grateful for my freedom and forever indebted to those who gave their lives.

Recommended Book

On Remembrance Day

Aug 19, 2014
ISBN: 9781459721685

Interesting Fact #1

The first Sunday closest to the 11th of November is chosen every year as the day to remember the fallen and injured. As Sunday is often a day of rest, many British nationals and residents of the Commonwealth will use the day to attend a local remembrance parade, honour a two-minute silence at 11AM or watch the London parade on TV.

SOURCE

Interesting Fact #2

The Armistice was an agreement between The Allies and Germany to end the fighting of WW1. As a result, soldiers stopped fighting at 11am on 11th November in 1918, starting the end of the four year-long war.

SOURCE

Interesting Fact #3

As a result of fierce fighting and bombing during WW1, landscapes were turned to ruin. However, resilient poppy flowers flourished – creating bright red fields, which many symbolise as a remembrance of the blood spilled on the battlefields. The fields of poppies also provided inspiration to the Canadian soldier and poet; John McCrae who wrote the incredibly well-known poem 'In Flanders Fields'. As far back as 1921, just three years’ after the end of WW1, artificial red poppies were sold in the United Kingdom to raise money in support of ex-servicemen and the families of fallen soldiers.

SOURCE

Quote of the day

“It is Remembrance Day. A time to conjure up the mighty fallen. Friends and relatives rotting in the channel and mud of France. But the old man won't remember quite yet. Not till he's had his breakfast and read the paper. Then he will let the memories come back. Relive the good old days.” ― John King

Article of the day - Remembrance Day

Canadians recognize Remembrance Day, originally called Armistice Day, every 11 November at 11 a.m. It marks the end of hostilities during the First World War and an opportunity to recall all those who have served in the nation’s defence.

Armistice Day

Armistice Day was inaugurated in 1919 throughout much of the British Empire, but on the second Monday in November. In 1921, the Canadian Parliament passed an Armistice Day bill to observe ceremonies on the first Monday in the week of 11 November, but this combined the event with the Thanksgiving Day holiday. For much of the 1920s, Canadians observed the date with little public demonstration. Veterans and their families gathered in churches and around local memorials, but observances involved few other Canadians.

In 1928, some prominent citizens, many of them veterans, pushed for greater recognition and to separate the remembrance of wartime sacrifice from the Thanksgiving holiday. In 1931, the federal government decreed that the newly named Remembrance Day would be observed on 11 November and moved Thanksgiving Day to a different date. Remembrance Day would emphasize the memory of fallen soldiers instead of the political and military events leading to victory in the First World War.

11 November

Remembrance Day rejuvenated interest in recalling the war and military sacrifice, attracting thousands to ceremonies in cities large and small across the country. It remained a day to honour the fallen, but traditional services also witnessed occasional calls to remember the horror of war and to embrace peace. Remembrance Day ceremonies were usually held at community cenotaphs and war memorials, or sometimes at schools or in other public places. Two minutes of silence, the playing of the Last Post, the recitation of In Flanders Fields, and the wearing of poppies quickly became associated with the ceremony.

Remembrance Day has since gone through periods of intense observation and periodic decline. The 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995 marked a noticeable upsurge of public interest, which has not ebbed in recent years. It is now a national holiday for federal and many provincial government workers, and the largest ceremonies are attended in major cities by tens of thousands. The ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa is nationally televised, while most media outlets – including newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, and internet sources – run special features, interviews, or investigative reports on military history or remembrance-related themes.

Question of the day - When is your country’s day of remembrance if you have one?

Rights & Freedom

When is your country’s day of remembrance if you have one?