Remembrance Day was different this year. With no public gatherings permitted, only a few people congregated at the citadel. But, from a safe distance, on front porches or in our homes, people still observed the two minutes of silence and thought about the wars in which so many young people risked their lives. So many were killed or crippled for life. Six members of my family as well as my husband’s father served in the military in two world wars. They showed remarkable courage. In different ways, they also all felt lifelong effects from that service.
A friend
sent me the link to Joh McDermott’s
song “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvmOWBanX-s
I find
it one of the most moving and poignant of the many songs that decry war. Buffy
Ste. Marie’s The Universal Soldier, for which she was apparently blacklisted
when it was first performed, also never fails to bring tears to my eyes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6imjvgJFvM
Although
we don’t want to glorify war, we rightly celebrate the courage and sacrifice of
the young soldiers who gave their lives to the war effort. And we also
recognize the contributions of the people who stayed at home, waiting for their
loved ones to return. We heard countless stories of hardship during the
blackouts. People endured the absence of parents, spouses and children, the
fearful times in bomb shelters, the rationing, and all the many losses, small
and large.
They
endured. They put up with a lot of limitations to their freedom. I never heard
of anyone saying, “I have a right to refuse to pull down my blinds.” They knew
they were all in it together and they followed the rules.
Sometimes
when I think of the word “remembrance,” I think of re-membering –
putting things back together. Putting things back together.
We will
put things back together when the Covid crisis lessens and we move on to what
people are calling “the new normal.” In
the meantime, we must all do as our parents and grandparents did in those hard
times before us.
Remember
the people on the front lines, our health care and other essential workers.
Endure.
Be patient. Think of others. Follow the rules.
And
then, if we’re lucky, we’ll have things to remember.
And
re-member.
Good think piece as per usual, Carol. I learned the word ‘chauvinism’ while pondering such things as a young man. And this time of year, I always play Leadbelly’s The Red Cross Store Blues in remembrance of things past: https://youtu.be/AtkGNpkC6iI
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ReplyDeleteThank you for another thoughtful post, Carol. So many points well worth remembering and re-remembering. My parents endured much in their younger years and then again as they aged. I always wondered how they managed it. I think your words hold a key - they were patient, they thought of others, and they followed the rules of that time. Direction that served them well then and us now. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI remember you speaking about all that your parents endured and, yes, it seemed they were patient and thoughtful. We all need that now, especially patience. Thanks for this and do take care.
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