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| Photo courtsey Royal Canadian Legion |
I wear a poppy for a reason. It may be the same reason you do or it may be different. But for me it is a conscious choice.
I have at times debated the wearing of a poppy. And at times I have chosen to wear the MCC peace button instead of the poppy. And I have friends who wear both the poppy and the button.
Here is why I wear the poppy. I wear it out of respect for those who have fought in wars. Those soldiers carry their wounds with them - even once the fighting is done. I wear the poppy to honour them.
I wear the poppy for my uncle who fought on the beaches of Normandy and came home. He never talked about it. At least not that I heard. But it impacted his life.
I wear the poppy for my cousin who served in the Canadian Armed Forces in the Infantry.
I wear the poppy for my cousin who is American and fought in Desert Storm.
I wear the poppy for my cousin's daughter who is a Corporal in the USA Marine Corps.
I wear the poppy for former students, who aren't much older than my current students, and chose to enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces to serve their country.
I also own the MCC peace button and I wear it. When I am wearing it, I am not meaning any disrespect to those who have fought and died so that I can have the freedoms I have. I am not trying to disrespect the Peace Keepers, Armed Forces or people at home that keep us safe. However, I believe in Peace. I grew up in a church and community that believed in, and continue to believe in, pacifism and peace.
I wear the button for my uncle who during WWII was a conscientious objector and have to leave home and work for the government here at home. Mennonite Conscientious Objectors
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| http://natoassociation.ca/confusion-and-perplexity-the-complicated -relationship-between-peacekeeping-and-peacemaking/ |
I wear the button for all the people working towards peace here at home and across the world.
I wear the button for those who are affected by war and need peace so desperately.
I wear the button for the refugees who have been unable to go home for years and years and truly need peace.
I wear the button for those around us who have never known peace. For those who have only known violence. For those who are crying out for peace.
I wear the button to remind myself that I am an instrument of peace and that I need to work towards peace in my community, in my province, in my country and in my world.
I wear the button because it reminds me that even here at home in Manitoba, Canada we need to work towards peace and towards reconciliation. Not all of our battles have been fought on foreign soil. We have a history of violence to the First Nations, Indigenous, Metis, Inuit and many other immigrant groups. We need peace here at home. And we need to works towards it. Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action
So what about you? Why do you wear the poppy or the peace button? What does it mean to you? What does Remembrance Day mean to you? Have you thought about it? Or if you choose to not wear the poppy - Why? Why are you making that choice?
Want to think some more on the poppy and why we wear it? Check out these links:
And if you want to watch a few moving Remembrance Day Videos - check out the following. There are so many more online.
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