Gratitude & Remembrance Day by Dina Campeis
This year is the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, known as Remembrance Day in Canada.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This year is the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, known as Remembrance Day in Canada. Every year on this date, we remember. And we will continue to do so as time marches forward. But how we do this changes as the soldiers and family members of the Great World Wars pass away. Many have left memoires, photos, stories. Students learn about Wars in school from an early age through the Canada Remembers Program. Numerous university courses are available. Motion pictures and miniseries have been written and viewed by millions. Not just on these wars, but others as well that Canada has been involved.
So, let’s remember how the past influences today. Take a moment to think about this.
If you wear a Poppy, why? To remember past loved ones? Or to provide funds for current and future Veterans?
How do you feel when you wear it? Proud? Grateful?
Like many, my experience with Poppies is that I tend to lose them. Every year, I donate to the Legion’s Poppy campaign for the opportunity to wear a Poppy. It’s like a contest to see how long I can wear it before it disappears. One hour, one day, wow – a whole week! But it doesn’t matter. I just get another one. And another. And another. Every donation is what helps to ensure that the Legion will continue to support our Veterans and their Families. And this is how we will Remember.
http://www.legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy
‘The healthiest of all human emotions is gratefulness’ Hans Selye (Hungarian-Canadian scientist).
There are many quotes and studies on gratefulness, and they seem to boil down to a character trait that people have that is different from being thankful. Being grateful is a much deeper feeling of appreciation. For example, one university student may be thankful that his/her parents are paying for higher education but may have felt they were entitled to this. Another university student may be aware that his/her parents are working longer or perhaps dipping in to their retirement funds in order to fund this education. In this case, the student is grateful as they understand the implications and sacrifice of the parents.
If you have never practiced Gratefulness, this is the perfect month to try it. Discuss what it means to you and your family and friends to have your freedom and a peaceful life here in Canada. This will be sure to be an interesting discussion.
To show gratefulness in this month of Remembrance you can wear a Poppy, write a letter to a Veteran or donate a guitar to the Guitars for Vets Canada program. What a lovely way for the memory of a musical family member to be passed on through this program. There are so many ways to help and in so doing show how grateful you are for the way we live today.
On November 10th there will be a Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Shops on Steeles and 404, hosted by Mosaic Home Care & Community Resource Centres. We are honoured to have a few guests
from the Canadian Armed Forces for this event. For more information call 905.597.7000 or email us at info@mosaichomecare.com.
Also, Kimberly Davies of Client Services is running an 11 days of posts on Remembrance day that are worthwhile reading, thinking about and remembering.
For more information about
http://www.legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy
https://vetscanada.org/guitars-for-vets.php
https://mosaichomecare.com
