Remembrance

Earlier this week I visited the National Memorial Arboretum. It was a beautiful place to visit. There are many memorials not only to service men and women but also for events like the 9/11 attack, for all children who have died because of terror attacks and wars,  and for stillborn babies. It was a place to sit and enjoy the surrounding landscape, the river and the woodland and a place to remember those who had left us in one circumstance or another.

The guide book states ‘ Remembrance is living, changing and part of everyday life. It comforts those left behind and pays respect to what is past’. Remembrance is very personal and means different things to different people. The ancients built burial mounds for their dead as a memorial maybe, while today we have various types of memorials. There is a burial mound in the Arboretum.

We choose what to remember and what to forget. I have various items in my home that bring back memories or my parents and friends. My father was an accomplished carpenter and I have two chests of drawers in my bedroom that he made. They will last longer than I will as they were so well made. So each day as I use them I remember my father. I have a painting on the wall done by a friend who died a couple of years ago. He used to work with my father when I was young so lots of memories there.

We keep photos of our and our families activities and when we look at the photos we remember the events and those people in the photos. My son and I recently dedicated some woodland to a friend who passed to the Summerlands recently, so each time we visit we remember our friend and his life. As a druid, I remember my ancestors especially at the time of Samhain.

Remembrance is therefore part of my everyday life. Is it part of yours?

I bought some beautiful poppies (artificial ones) at the Arboretum. I love poppies and they are also a universal symbol of remembrance although many will not wear them on Armistice day as they believe the poppy glorifies war. I am not a believer in war and prefer peace but I am happy to wear a poppy to remember those who died in the war and that includes the many civilians who also died as a result of the war.

Remembering

Today in the UK it is Remembrance Sunday when the fallen of all the wars involving the UK are remembered. The red poppy is worn as a symbol of respect but today there are many who do not want to wear the red poppy but want to wear a white one in remembrance of all war dead on all sides.

As a druid I remember all war dead as the norm., all war dead over all the centuries of war as well. There have been millions of people who died during wars, some as a result of bombing and fighting even though they were not involved in the actual warfare and the many who died due to the fighting. Yet even now there are still wars in our world. It seems to me that wars can be caused by greed, the wanting of more land, and also because those starting the war want to control the others in some way, maybe through religion.

Is it not time to learn to live together and to stop fighting. I see today as a time for reflection as well as remembrance.