Today, November 11, is a day of universal recognition and respect for our veterans. It is a day to honour and acknowledge the men and women who sacrificed their own lives for the future of people they would never know, an act of infinite selflessness.
Remembrance Day was originally called Armistice Day and its purpose is to recognize the conclusion of World War One. It was officially given the name Remembrance Day in 1931 and ever since has occurred on the 11th day of November. At 11a.m. on this day, Canadian citizens and many others across the globe collectively pause for a moment of silence to honour and remember all those who lost their lives during the First World War. There are often television and radio programs that begin at 11a.m. and a lot of us pause to pay our respects to our veterans.
I encourage you to read the following poem by John McCrae today:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
This poem was composed by Mr. McCrae, a Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel, during the First World War.
Please, please take a moment to stop and pay your respects to our veterans, today and every day. Their sacrifice is one we are all indebted to, and their bravery has been instrumental to all of us in our own lives.
ontheedgeofeverything 
