It's that time of year again for me. Remembrance Day is coming and as usual, I'm in charge of writing and organizing the assembly. I love doing this. I feel privileged to be able to acknowledge and show respect to our soldiers, past and present.
Usually our assembly focuses on the past. The theme I chose for this year is: Remembrance Day: Past, Present and Future. One of our custodians is a transplanted American who happens to be a Vietnam vet. Until two years ago, he refused to be part of any assemblies, etc. Two years ago he came and sat in the back of the gym for our service. He was so moved that the next year he allowed us to acknowledge him and took part. This year he took it upon himself to help organize it. He is a member of the armoury in downtown Vancouver. He arranged for us to have some very young soldiers, just back from Afghanistan, to take part in the assembly. I was able to meet with two of them and they helped me design the program. They also provided me with pictures to use in our movie (which I had to make). Every time I watch the movie, I am moved to tears. These are young boys, barely older than our grade 8 boys. When I was in conversation with the soldiers, then talked about what they've accomplished. The mentioned that we never see on the news how they escort children to school so they can safely get there; or what it feels like to see a village have electricity for a week in a row; or how it feels to know that they are making a difference and that the people really do appreciate what they're doing. I was changed after my conversation. Now, when I see the news, I think of my boys (yes, I think of them as my boys) and how much they do and their compassion and commitment. God bless them.
I've included my movie for you to watch. Let me know what you think.
