Maybe we all have extra cause for reflection this year as Remembrance Day approaches, given the disturbing rise of the alt-right in the US and Europe, the horrors in Syria, the provocations of Russia…not to mention threats from North Korea or Iran or who knows where else. But from my small vantage point, I am feeling much more grateful than ever for all those who have sacrificed to make our world better.
Over my 24 years of living in Ottawa, the image of Remembrance Day for me is the National War Memorial, with the ancient vets waiting in wheelchairs and with walkers, resolute against the cold of November, as the bugle sounds the Last Post, below drab skies and falling rain, sometimes snow.
The Memorial has been hidden for the last seven months as part of a major restoration project. Most mornings I ride my bike past the site on my way to work. I have missed it. Before the restoration, I enjoyed seeing the visitors who always seemed to be there no matter what time of day, taking photos or perhaps reflecting on the statues or on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The site is clearly important to people and, for me, made even more important, more solemn, more immediate, by the killing of Corporal Nathan Cirillo in October 2014.
When we read last Saturday that the Memorial had reopened Friday, we decided we should go there right away, like visiting an old friend who has been away too long.
