May we promote the peace of evil confronted, injustice exposed and striving for reconciliation
EDITOR’S NOTE: Remembrance reflections by Rev. Jean Brown, retired United Church supply clergyperson and Haweater born in Mindemoya in 1950. Rev. Brown, who lives near Sharbot Lake, is a niece to the late Doug Wagg of Mindemoya who died in the Second World War. Doug is buried at the Mindemoya Cemetery, along with many other family members. Rev. Brown currently serves the Deseronto Grace Pastoral Charge in a four-month temporary contract.
To the Expositor:
With November here we are challenged to remember and learn from the past wars and peacekeeping efforts, as we celebrate Remembrance Day on November 11. As a child we remembered our departed veterans including my uncle Doug Wagg, who died in the war, by participating in Remembrance services in our public and high school, community, church, and cenotaph sites. It was a special time in that my Dad, the late Dufferin Vincer Brown, also served overseas coming home to create a houseful of baby boomers- born after the end of World War II. As this old baby boomer ages I contemplate the act of remembering, and find myself identifying with my Mom, the late Marion Laurel (Wagg) Brown, who was prone to be forgetful. She would go downstairs to bring up some food stuffs stored down there, and come up empty handed with a puzzled and somewhat embarassed look on her face. As a teen I would laugh at this, but now it’s happening me and it’s sure not very funny. When we think of remembering and or forgetting, the scenario of forgetfulness raises its ugly head and we can all identify with memory loss. It’s very real. However the Biblical sense of remembering provides a comfort and assurance to all in that to remember Biblically is to take the past actions and to use them as a spring board of knowledge to create a new future. So, on Remembrance Day, we concentrate and remember all the actions of those who served and the ideas and ideals for which they fought and died. We stand in their shoes, realizing that many were so very young—fighting and flying bombers before their 21st birthday. They made the best choices they could at the time and we honour those choices by remembering and using those choices as a spring board to create the kind of world that they fought and died to give us.
When we say lest we forget we mean that we will remember the ideas, ideals for which they served and we will run with those ideas. What does that look like today? To me it looks like a different kind of war—one that promotes or acts upon human rights, respect, building understanding and compassion for others and trying to create a world where children have enough food, medical support, and access to education, and a world that strives for peace. May the memories of the past inspire us all to work for peace in our hearts, our homes and our world.
May we promote the peace of evil confronted, injustice exposed and the striving for reconciliation a part of our living. Let us chose non-violence and use the Biblical tools and insights of Jesus Christ to craft peace, to shape communities based on love, understanding and compassion for others. Guided by the Holy Presence of a higher power—One who does not forget us, let us truly and prayerfully remember.
Rev. E. Jean Brown
Arden
