They are our fathers, brothers, husbands, mothers, sisters and wives, our neighbours, our heroes. They are Canada’s Veterans. Their courage, service and sacrifice will never be forgotten and on November 11th, we remember them.
Every year prior to Remembrance Day our Sunridge Gardens residents are invited to share their photos and stories of their loved ones in a Remembrance Day Display.This is our way of honoring the contributions they have made as Canadian and Allied Veterans. Proudly displayed are photos of men who are so young yet fought so bravely. Thankfully, these young men did come home to their loving wives and together they created a new generation. The fact that so many others did not make it home is not lost here and it is also their sacrifice that we honor on November 11th.
On November 10th Sunridge Gardens had the honor of welcoming two young Canadian Servicemen. Corporal Firth and Private Cadenhead out of the 39 Combat Engineer Regiment of Chilliwack, British Columbia, came to share their stories with our residents. Although they have not yet gotten the call to serve overseas, these two reservists told us stories of what their day to day lives are like, what their training regime entails as well answering any questions our residents asked. Mostly, their message, which they bring to both elementary and high schools all over the Fraser Valley is the importance of remembrance and it’s relevance in todays society.
Our Remembrance Day Service on November 11th began at 10:45 am. A staff member gently played the piano as our residents entered the lounge and became seated. Other staff members said prayers and recited poems and at 11:00 am we observed the two minutes of silence bracketed by “The Last Post”. A remembrance song was sung A cappela by a staff member and later a decorated war veteran stood and shared his experiences. The service ended with an emotional “Oh Canada” proudly being sung by everyone in the room. Upon exiting the service residents lined up to place their poppies on a fresh laurel wreath.
And so another remembrance day comes and goes with pride, with sadness, but most of all with continued assurance that we will always remember those who served and we will always be thankful.
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