It was the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month when World War I officially ended in 1918. Today is Remembrance Day. Today is the day we remember the Canadians who have lost their lives fighting for us. Today is the day we wear poppies, a flower that thrived in war-torn soil, growing spontaneously over World War 1 burial sites in Flanders. They “seemed to spread a consoling red blanket over the buried soldiers,” said the Canadian Military, on their website. Remember the day, somehow. Spend some time with Remembrance Day content, whether it be written, visual, attending a ceremony, posting something on Facebook, whatever. Engage. There’s depth to war, its causes, its casualties, despite where you stand. Here is a list of ceremonies taking place in Winnipeg, and a list of ceremonies happening across Canada. For rural communities, check with your local City Hall or RM. And here is In Flanders Fields, a handwritten poem written by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae on May 3, 1915:
In Flanders Fields
By John McCrae, May 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
[Source: Canadian Army, Global News, CBC]
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