November 10, 2021
In the last week, there have
been rumored sightings of little, tiny bits of…pollen…. white pollen, in fact,
floating in the air, landing on the hoods and roofs of parked cars, just
generally mucking up the view. Of course, since I maintain that winter in my neck
of the woods lasts from October to March, inclusive, the appearance of this
pollen…aka kaka…aka snow, is not unexpected.
There has indeed been frost on
the pumpkin, among other places over the last several mornings. Our beautiful,
lush coleus in the back yard has been stricken, and is now just a very fond
memory. I’ve made a note to myself to make sure both cars have ice scrapers in
them by the end of this week. We have the scrapers—they’re the long-handled
sort with brushes on the other end. But just because we have them does not mean
they will of course be placed in the vehicles, to be at hand when needed. No,
this is the sort of chore that must be scripted beforehand and then carried out
scrupulously.
Another lesson learned through
past experience which was not a fun lesson at all.
Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day in
the U.S., and Remembrance Day here in Canada. It’s a day when we take the time
to pay homage to those thousands of people who took up arms and then laid down their
lives for our freedom. Here in Canada, most small towns and larger cities have
ceremonies at their cenotaphs. I often tune in to the CBC’s coverage of the
ceremony in Ottawa, our nation’s capital. I have even, on one memorable
occasion, when on a long drive, listened to the coverage on my car’s radio. I
was on a provincial, two-laned highway at the time, and I recall pulling over,
then getting out of my car to stand quietly during the minute of silence. And I
also remember feeling proud because as I looked up there were a handful of
other vehicles in sight whose drivers had done the same thing.
I believe that we should spend
time contemplating the awful toll exacted for the freedoms we are fortunate
enough to have on more than just the one day a year. And I believe, especially
lately, that this is a matter that grows exponentially more urgent the more unhinged
our society appears to become.
How often have we tried, while
raising our children, to impress on them the need to appreciate what they have
in their lives? The food they eat and the clothes they wear and the toys they love
and play with are theirs because they have parents who work hard to provide
those things for them. We need to teach our children and many adults more specifically
that the ability to have and to do, to dream and to be, are ours because those
who came before us were willing to pay the ultimate price, and many of them did
just that.
Those who have died in defence
of our freedoms had rich lives ahead of them, bright futures possible. They had
families, they had children, they had the world. They had hopes and dreams that
they had dreamed with all their hearts since they were children…. but they also
had a sense of duty. Being free, they accepted that the other side of that coin
is responsibility. That seems to be a fact that too many people today
conveniently ignore. They pretend that freedom is free.
It is not.
And so, those heroes who came before
us surrendered what they had, including their futures, because the higher cause
was just that important.
Now here we are, in this world
we’ve inherited, with the responsibility to guard our sacred freedom that those
who died have passed on to us. We must assume that responsibility in whatever
way—in every way—that we can.
Yes, my friends, let’s think
on these matters often. But more, let us prove ourselves worthy of the sacrifice
they gave, so that we might pass this precious freedom on to the next
generation.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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