Lest We Forget

17

Like the majority of others, we stayed away from the cenotaph during the critically scaled back ceremony today.

But it felt wrong not to visit later in the day when the veterans and those laying wreaths were safely elsewhere. Truthfully, it just felt completely wrong not to be there during the traditional moment of silent reflection.

I remember attending ceremonies in the gymnasium in school, but there is a gap in time when I did not attend ceremonies. After 9-11 I, and I think a lot of others, were brought back to ground and the importance of taking time out of our lives to appreciate the freedoms we have and to remember and reflect on those who gave so much of themselves, including, for a great many, their lives. Since 9-11 I have not missed a ceremony, rain or shine. Even when Mom was in the hospital after her stroke and I was alone in PG attending to her and hoping for a recovery, I made the effort to bundle up on an icy and snowy day and stand shoulder to shoulder with others outside the cenotaph in my old home town.

It’s a small effort for us to remember the sacrifices of others to give us a better life.

Normally I wait for an opportunity, struggle for an opportunity, to capture the memorial without any people in the immediate frame.

Today that wasn’t difficult, though I opted for this quiet moment between mother and daughter since it felt somehow special.