A simple thanks

As soon as Halloween ends, the fundraising for The Royal Canadian Legion begins with the Poppy Campaign hitting the streets.

I think of buying a poppy as an annual thank you to those who gave their lives so that I can have freedom; freedom that I’ve enjoyed my entire life.  So I like to purchase my poppy from one of the dwindling number of actual World War II veterans, so that I can say my thanks in person.   Of course, with every passing year, that gets harder and harder to do. 

I have to remember that sadly, not all veterans are over 80.  Many soldiers much younger have come home, equally devastated, from the likes of Afghanistan.  Their lives in turmoil, perhaps even more so because not all Canadians understand the mission.  The only time there seems to be a big homecoming for them is when they come home in a box, and some kind of honour is bestowed upon them in Trenton, Ontario when they land back on Canadian soil.

At recent WE DAY celebrations in Vancouver, a young African man named Michel Chikwaine spoke to an audience of high school kids about being forced to become a child soldier.  I was intrigued about his story, so I looked him up on the Internet.  After all of the horror that he had been through, he finally somehow made it to Canada and makes Ottawa his home.  The first thing he commented on was the lack of bullets flying all over the place and the quietude that is peace. 

We take it for granted that Canada is; and hopefully always will be, a peaceful place.  We don’t duck at loud noises and when a bullet does go off, it gets reported as news.  Those who come here hoping to change that by bringing violence with them as a way of life will not be tolerated, and that is as it should be.

This year, for the first time ever, the Poppy Campaign is going high tech as people may text to donate via their mobile phones.  I still prefer the traditional method of giving, but to each his own.  I applaud their efforts to target a younger generation used to giving via technology.

As Remembrance Day edges ever closer, please give thanks in your own way to all our brave soldiers and their families who have also known hardship.  The hardship of not knowing if your loved one will come home in one piece, the hardship of their children growing up without them, either because of the long absences or because they don’t make it home. 

Thank you to all who make my life peaceful.  Please know your sacrifices have not been forgotten.