Remembrance Day ~ A Little Different then Normal

This update isn't a health update, but just some musings of mine.

Today is Remembrance Day, a day that in the Neufeld house was as important as Christmas. It was the one day of the year that we as a family would go to Remembrance Day service wherever we were living. It was a day where my Dad took pride in teaching us kids the importance of the day and what it meant. He would drive home the importance of remembering and thanking all those who fought for our freedoms from our past.

As a little girl I loved watching Dad polish his High Browns...even if he did use spit to shine them up. I may have thought that was gross at the time, but they sure did come out shiny in the end. Then he would put on those pants that looked like he put bananas in the pant legs, it always made me giggle that he had to wear suspenders to keep them up, I only ever saw bigger guys wear suspenders, so seeing my skinny Dad wear them was amusing. My pride would always swell when he would finish off his ensemble with that beautiful Red Coat and his Stetson. My Dad was a Mountie...my very own Mountie.

In 2006 I had the honour of working for Task Force Afghanistan, I was a civilian contractor for the Canadian Armed Forces. It was an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. I may have only been a Travel Agent while I was there but the experience always made me feel closer to Dad. The experience of serving our country is something that we share and an experience that we only know.  He was in charge of Shoal Lake's Remembrance Day Service that year and asked me to be the guest speaker. What an honour to tell my story to the people in attendance that day.

When I met David, Remembrance Day was not something that he celebrated. It wasn't something that his family did when he was growing up. The first year we lived in Morden was the first year his Mom attended Remembrance Day Service with us. To see her eyes well up when she realized what we were there honouring is something that I will always remember. Up until Covid shut everything down, David and the girls came to service with me. It felt amazing to teach them the meaning of the day as my Dad taught me all those years ago.

When Dad retired in 2010, I wondered if that would be the last year that he would don his Red Serge. That was not the case, Dad has worn his Serge with pride for the past 44 years. Today is the first time in the last 45 years that Dad's Serge stayed put in the closet, his High Browns are spit free and his suspenders are on a hanger. 

Dad you have served your country well. I am ever so proud of you for all your years of service. I pray that next year you will be feeling 100% that you will wear your Serge proud again. As I close my eyes today in thought I see my Dad standing proudly as a man who has served his country with dignity and joy.

Thank you for your service Dad...it has not gone unnoticed!