Remember...

Once more to the fray....these words fell from my lips this morning as I sat, fingers poised over the keyboard as I again have the thought that I have nothing to say....

These words should be written in stone, on a t-shirt, as a line in the sand.... for each and every lost one, as a mantra to waking each morning and thinking of the day ahead...as heads hit the pillow at the end of the day, fearing what may come.

The quote has been changed slightly from the original Shakespearean speech in Henry V:

'Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead.

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility:

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,

Then imitate the action of the tiger;

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;'

With Remembrance Day behind us and the Christmas Season ahead I sat in heavy contemplation over the weekend...recalling the 3 great uncles who fought in the II World war...of the family that fought in the Great War (WWI)...of the cousin who served his country in the Air Force and others who served in the Military in one capacity or another.

I was reminded of the toughness of lineage, of the courage and tenacity of those who came before me fighting for peace, fighting to keep our country safe...of the times in my own personal situation that I drew upon that courage and resilience to take one more day, to fight for peace...for truth...for life, for sanity on an insane battlefield...

We must never forget the sacrifice, the giving of lives meant to live so we can be free from captivity, from oppression, from death....the humility it brings to know that we live and breathe free air today because of those brave souls who fought the megalomaniacs working hard to take over the world...the prayers and bravery of Nuns moving through battle torn cities rescuing, housing, providing medical aid to injured, to orphaned children....

And so...I take up my armour and strap on my boots to fight another day...to follow the example of a generation gone, a generation never to be seen again in the physical realm...

We have so very much to be thankful for that I am overwhelmed....moved to tears....humbled I stand in awe of those who stood in the breach, who gave their lives for a brother in arms, for strangers they would never meet...and for those who do so today....

In gratitude I get to work...I set my mind to tasks seemingly immovable....I throw shoulders back and step into the fray and while I may fall, while I may stumble I will get back up and move, step, run to more...to learning, experiencing...to accepting truth with grace and humility...to speaking truth with kindness and mercy....

'Imitate the tiger....stiffen the sinews...disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage.'

Justice is hard won....patience and determination tamping the rage in place until such a day that justice is complete....

From the mouth of babes.... when the boys were young and we lived on a vast acreage coined 'The Hundred Acre Woods' by my middle son, the boys would take their paintball guns and fight mock battles...Axel with Kevin as he was still quite young (6 or 7) and Leo on his own. They had worked hard together building blinds on a particularly bumpy, hilly acre and after slipping into their camouflage outfits would head out. On one particular day, Kevin came in steamed and frustrated, Axel slowly trooping in behind...one bright spot of paint on each, then two, then three as the day wore on...building a lunch for hungry bellies I asked Kevy what was wrong and was rewarded with one word...Leo....after not a little bit of persuasion I got the rest of the story...

'it didn't matter,' He said...'didn't matter where we hid or how, he picked us off...every time.'

Moments later Leo wandered in (7 or 8 yrs of age) and when I complimented his ability to take down his brothers, he shrugged and said, 'it's not hard mom, I just wait for them to move and wait some more, then I take my shot.'

Patiently waiting for his moment and no rubbing it in, or extolling his own ability to 'make' the shot...humility and patience taught to me as a mom in one fell swoop....to end that story, those boys never gave up trying to get 'the enemy.'

I tell this story to remind us all that patience and resilience go hand in hand....justice and patience are married, never to part....we live in a world gone mad, confused, seeking purpose, seeking justice where justice has been forgotten and the criminal continues to rampage, steal and maim...

We live to see another day dear treasures...we find joy in the morning once more....we move forward with life, with purpose, with dreams and goals and with confidence building within we step out onto paths we may have never otherwise taken without the pain, without the suffering, without the battle endured...

Stand tall dear hearts...walk with pride, with grace, with the knowledge of your worth on this earth in this time...speak your truth with kindness, with grace and see your world brighten and gain all the colours of the rainbow with each word, with each moment of standing for you and for those around you who need a helping hand...we gain by inches, then feet, then miles, leaps and bounds from the prison we escaped from...freedom is not free, it is hard won...as all those men and women would tell you, freedom comes with a price...but oh the reward....

Wait for your shot, for your moment...patiently and humbly live each day in loving kindness and compassion, for yourself and those around you....we know not what battle is being fought within and without; in that gas jockey, the grocery store clerk, the co-worker, the strangers we take a moment to speak to or smile at....love saves us, patience keeps us, mercy and wisdom guide us...

Go with God today and each day forward, covered in grace...in peace, in comfort....