108. Finally!

Okay, so I know that due to my very sporadic posting schedule, no one will likely notice this, but I am going to be out of commission for a while... my surgery date is finally here! Well, on Monday anyway. And I will be staying with my mother in Toronto during my convalescence, which means that when I come home from the hospital (on Thursday) I will still not be posting for about two weeks. Anyway, just thought you might all want to know.

In other news, I had a conversation with an American friend recently who had read my last post, and I was shocked to note the difference in the American way of thinking versus the Canadian way of thinking so I thought I would clarify. I very much believe in honouring those who have gone before and fought for my country, but I am not pro-war. I don't know a single Canadian who won't proudly wear a poppy in November, and who doesn't honour those who have served in our military, but on the whole, we are not a 'warring' people. That poem is one that every Canadian learns in childhood (they've even translated it into French) and I know that I was taught (I can't speak for all Canadians) that Remembrance Day was a day to not only remember the soldiers who fought and died, but to remember those who fought for my rights as a woman, my rights as a visible minority, my right to worship in the way I chose, my right to speak freely about whatever I wish... all my rights. It is a way to acknowledge the sacrifice that others have made that have impacted my life, and it is a reminder to not take those rights for granted.

Anyway, just thought I'd clarify.

Love to all!

107. Remember.

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.

-Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae