Bluebird Banter · 12m
Remembrance Day
Two years ago, my wife and I joined other volunteers to place candles at each of the 3,500 crosses at Calgary’s Field of Crosses. As we moved from cross to cross, we paused to offer a quiet thank you to every individual represented. The experience was sobering. Most of the men and women honoured on the crosses were in their twenties—some even younger, in their teens. The oldest I noticed was just 47, still far too young.
Some crosses included brief biographies, reminding us that these were real people who once led ordinary lives before leaving to defend our freedom. Many notes revealed they were buried in Belgium, France, England, Italy, or other places far from their Canadian homes.