The Remembrance Day service at Prince Albert Armoury continues to be a “standing room only” event. It’s obvious that people appreciate the contributions of Canada’s armed forces. We wear a poppy to show our respect for veterans. Even if we have to be at work on Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. we observe a minute of silence in remembrance of the men and women who served and died for Canada.
Remembrance Day marks the date and time when armies stopped fighting the First World on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. in 1918 (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month). Some 100,000 Canadian soldiers died in the First and Second World Wars.
Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday in Saskatchewan, but not all across Canada. Saskatchewan has 10 annual holidays, the most of any province in Canada.
Nov. 11 has added significance for me, because it is the date on which my daughter was born, giving her a holiday on her birthday.
Remembrance Day was also the occasion for my first piece of writing for financial gain. I won a cash prize in a Royal Canadian Legion writing contest in elementary school.
On Remembrance Day, there are no gifts to buy, no cards to send, no candles to blow out. Just buy a poppy and wear it with pride.
When you pin your poppy on your coat, say a silent prayer for all those who serve … whether it was long ago or whether it is today. Honour the work of those who are in active service in faraway places but also honour those dedicated volunteers who are seeing to the comforts of veterans and their families in our own community.
Year after year the hardworking volunters provide refreshments and entertainment for veterans and their families who gather on Remembrance Day to reminisce about their service to Canada.
To embellish a phrase from John Milton: They also serve who only stand and wait… on tables.
