Dear Alexiss

Dear Alexiss

Today was a very special day. Remembrance Day, a day to honor those who gave up the comfort of home life to live away from those they loved, who gave up creature comforts for extremely poor living conditions. When I take two minutes to thank every soul who fought wars, I do not take sides. Each life has value, each life was doing as they thought right and just. The mere thought of soldiers voluntarily going to deplorable conditions is unfathomable to me. It was a lone journey for them, alone without family but through it, friendships and bonds were made through a shared experience that none on the outside could understand, no matter how hard they try. It's an experience you had to be in to get the full meaning of it all. The families at home had their own struggles, for them their story was surrounding the same theme but with so many different aspects. All struggled, all gave their time and essentially their love and their life (living or not) to a cause they felt strongly enough about to put it above all else. Powerful stuff. Amazing stuff. Stuff I hope never to have to live, a position I never want to be in, a choice I never want to be presented with for me or my family. Wars continue, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, children, lovers continue to fight and give up all that is comfort and ease.

Personally, I wish, someday, instead of separating by culture, locations, belief and the ego driven thoughts that "our way is right" will melt away to include rights for all as a human race, united and without divide. Acceptance and tolerance, not to what is right or wrong (or what we perceive is right or wrong) but tolerance to ideals and cultures that are in different paths of development than our own.

I am a proud Canadian, today I felt full of pride having the chance to sing "Oh Canada". It was right, it is who I am. I struggle with our history and acquisition of Canada. It was not always our land and the way we made it ours is not as honorable and just, it is as skewed and as unfair as most wars. It was not free land for the taking and I don't feel the outcome was the best solution for all involved. This still does not impede my pride to be Canadian and my need to honor the fallen soldiers.

There was controversy this year. A divide between those who wore red poppies and those that wore white. If we as a people cannot even tolerate or attempt to understand the root of each and accept the good intentions of both, I fear the ego and stance of righteousness will win and humans will always loose. The red poppy commemorates soldiers who have died in war. The white poppy symbolizes a support for peace in it's truest form. I see the both complimentary, not opposite. How best to honor fallen soldiers than to vow to put life of all above war and death. To honor peace, to strive for peace, to honor their life with appreciation of life. If we can learn one thing I would hope it would be that there is never an absolute right and wrong, that as much as we fought for our own freedom, we owe freedom to all, not just ourselves.

So when I honor the fallen on Remembrance Day I honor every soldier, I honor a life, a hard life and quite honestly a life that choose what was probably their last days on earth to be one so far from comfort and love that they could be; to stand..to give.. their most valuable thing..their life. I can do this with all my heart without judgement on right or wrong.

Honor life. Honor love. Justice and right or wrong is not black and white, truth is not black and white. Life and Love are the way to peace.

Love you with all my heart
Momma