It's been quite a ride. We had a wicked virus on our computer that resulted in many days of Reid having to re-install and rebuild from the ground up. BUT it is done and for the time being - we are happy.

Each year on Remembrance Day we go down to the Cenotaph in town for the ceremonies. Each year I am conflicted. I am a pacifist. Is my presence there taken to mean I am in support of military action? In the end, respect for those who march in their aging uniforms, gratitude for my country wins out - & I stand proudly among those honouring our veterans. This year was unique. Reid's mom passed away this past year and both his parents served in WWII. Reid laid a wreath in honour of his parents. It was beautiful, touching and very meaningful for him. My sister generously created it and on the card she wrote "Charles and Kathleen Nickerson - who loved both God and country." And yes they really did. Their time in service to their country profoundly changed them. It affected them for the next 50 plus years of their lives. They never, not for one second, forgot what they saw, what they were a part of. And they maintained many of the relationships that they formed during the war. Right up until the end.

I suppose I'm rambling. But this year, as we stood in the pouring rain and listened and prayed - as I reflected on the millions of lives that were never the same following all the wars over the years, as I remembered Reid's parents....I fall to my knees and ask that God forgive the evil that causes the wickedness of war, and humbly ask Him for peace.

Just peace.