Remember

Remembrance Day ceremonies are spread out over this week leading up to the day itself.

Here in Lake of Bays, both Baysville and Dwight marked the day on Sunday Nov. 6.

The piper, Bob Locke, lead the colour party. The haunting sound of the pipes across Dwight Bay, Taps sounding, the shout of the drill master, the flags, and the wreaths are all the trappings that we recognize accompanying this somber occasion. 

My father's middle name was Pax. He was born Dec. 24, 1918... and he was named for the Great Peace that was signed on Nov. 11 of that year. The War to End Wars...

A great pity that it didn't.

It is important that we remember the price of freedom, that we take the time to acknowledge what we owe to those who gave their lives so we could live the way we do today.  History may be an enormous wheel, but sometimes it turns on the smallest cog -- the act of valour of one brave soul may be what changes the course of a battle, that battle may be what changes the course of a war...

There is a old rhyme:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Wars are big things, kingdoms and countries are big things...  We should never lose sight of the fact that it is sacrifices of the individuals -- while small only in the general scale of the enormity of war -- that are the crucial, important, big things. The thing that matters. The greatest thing of all.

We must never forget that, or them. And we must take the time to remember and to give thanks.