Remembering

For Veterans’ Day

There are different ways to remember:

There’s the remembering that comes from a photograph:
or words shared and moments lived together
that bring both tears and smiles.

But ours is not a remembering like that.

There’s the remembering that comes from research and learning,
knowing how things work,
the remembering of words and ideas and theories.

But ours is not a remembering like that.

There’s the remembering that comes from everyday life,
the lists we need, the language we use,
the circle of friends we have.

But ours is not a remembering like that.

There’s the remembering that comes from someone else’s experience:
a story passed on that is important enough and vital enough
to become our own story even as we did not live it.

This is our remembering.

It’s not because war
in every time and place and in every guise is the worst we can do to each other,
though that is true,
but because in amongst it all, people turn towards a hope that this will be the last,
that this will be never again.

It is this hope that they will to be passed on.

This hope has been bought at huge price.
It’s not the facts we remember nor the images, but the cost.
It is expensive to remember.
And if we do not accept that cost, and recognise the price,
then our hope is selfish.
This we cannot avoid.

This is our remembrance.

Roddy Hamilton
on http://abbotsford.typepad.com/abbotsford/”