Remembrance

I was meaning to update this yesterday but I'm lazy and didn't get around to it. So yesterday was Remembrance Day, the one holiday that actually means something to me, nothing else really seems to matter. Let's examine the following holidays and see the significance of each:

New Year's -- Celebration of the new year, nothing really important except for an excuse to get drunk with friends.
Valentine's -- NEVER EVER had a date on February 14....... EVER, needless to say that I hate this day
St. Patrick's Day -- Meh, not Irish and no one I know is Irish, enough said
Easter -- I definitely do not celebrate anything to do with Jesus Christ
Victoria Day -- I don't really even know what this is supposed to celebrate, Queen Victoria?
Canada Day -- This is the other holiday that has a big impact on me. I love this country and am very patriotic
Random Civic holiday -- .........
Labor Day -- Celebration of not working??
Thanksgiving -- I like the fact that I can give thanks to the life I have led but the significance of the holiday doesn't really mean anything to me.
Christmas -- See Easter. I use Christmas as a celebration of family and that does mean something to me.

So let me break down why Remembrance Day is so important to me. My Grandfather fought in WWII and was on one of those huge navy ships. Ever since I was a young boy I always loved my grandpa but was never able to truly respect and appreciate what he had done. I learned as a young child that my Grandfather got the Victorian Cross for rescuing about 5 fellow crew members from a burning ship. To me this was no surprise as I would constantly see him doing everything he could for others particularly his family. The man was so respected that there wasn't enough room in the hall for all the attendees. The only thing that bothered me about him was that he was on oxygen for most of the time that I remember him and he put my family through a ton of stress because of him being in and out of the hospital so frequently. There was one point where our entire family nearly witnessed his death first hand and that is an image I will never forget. We were sitting in hospital waiting for him to wake up when all of sudden doctors and nurses came rushing into the room. My grandma, two uncles, brother, and mom stood around his bed watching him go into some sort of shock with the doctors not knowing what was going on. After the episode was over he somewhat came to and looked around at all of us and said, "Is this heaven?" I remember this moment because it makes appreciate death and this was the moment my mother (who is not a religious person) 100% believed in her mind that my grandpa "saw the light at the end of the tunnel". The stress that he put on our family with these hospital visits will make me never smoke a cigarette in my life. When he finally died, my grandma and the rest of the family took it really hard. Right now there is a rock that sits atop the hill on our ranch where his ashes are laid that is so perfect because it oversees the entire farm out near Maidstone, SK. So this is why Remembrance Day means something for me, it is a tribute to my Grandfather who would do anything for his family and I know that there are thousands of other Canadians who also had family members like him. So I wear a poppy with pride every November 11 to remember all those who gave their lives and served for their country. Deep down inside it really bothers me when I see other people without a poppy on. Even though I worked on Remembrance Day I made sure that I didn't do anything between 9:55 - 10:10 and it was very nice to see 4 others who were working do the same.

Tomorrow, I am off to Regina for the weekend and am pretty excited for that fact. I will post a trip report when I get back.