Lest We Forget.

All my life I have been touched in some way by Remembrance Day. We always attended the ceremonies both because my Poppa served in WWII and because my brother was a drummer in a Scottish pipe and drum band and he was usually playing at these events. It was always cold and rainy and as a child I was bored after the first ten seconds. 1984 my sweet mother passed away the day before Remembrance Day and it has tainted every subsequent year.  Because of I was so young when that happened I never grew to appreciate the true meaning of the day. I was mired in my own loss for so long I did not see that we were coming together to give thanks and gather comfort for a much larger loss. And then September 11th 2001 happened.
It was the first time in my consciousness that the world lost together, suffered together, wept together. It was the first time I felt depth and breadth of humanities ability to unify, to love and be compassionate. It was also the first time I truly understood the hatred people can harbour in their hearts. This is my Remembrance Day. And though I will continue to honour the great men and women who serve in the Armed Forces on November 11th. I will continue to be sad and grateful for all they sacrifice; I can't help but feel my connection to 9/11 in a much more visceral, tangible way. I will be able to recite for the rest of my life when I was, what I was doing, how I felt and how my life was directly changed by that day. I am so fortunate that none of my loved ones were lost that day. I have no direct connections with anyone involved in the events that unfolded but I am a member of the human race and that is enough to have been wounded by that day.
The years that have followed, the wars, the loss of lives, the insane rampant racism, the civilization living in a constant state of hyper alertness, these have taken a toll on our humanity.
We can not honour the fallen with violence. We can not grieve with malfeasance. We can not heal with hate. As the great Doctor said "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
Don't burn a book today. Don't look with suspicion on a man getting on an airplane because he looks "Arab". Don't cast judgment on a woman who chooses to express her faithfulness and fidelity to god by covering her face. Don't left fear a suspicion take a foot hold in your heart. Remember what happened 9 years ago, feel it, talk about it, try and understand why it happened. Be angry and sad and mourn but then go out into the world and love because that is how the good guys really win.