Giving credit where credit is due
I am a firm believer that we should always reward those who deserve a reward, recognize those that deserve the recognition, and thank those who deserve to be thanked. It sounds simple, but I feel this concept is commonly overlooked at this day in age.
Every year, one of the ways I try to give credit where credit is due is by making time to head to a Remembrance Day ceremony. It’s so simple, but means so much to those who lost someone in war. It’s as if our mere pressence says to those widows and family members in attendance that we acknowledge and are thankful for the time their beloved served.
Ever since my first year at UBC, I have gone with my friend Zoe Higgs to the ceremony in War Memorial Gym on campus. I feel as though it means something more – being in a building whose namesake is to honour the students and friends of the University who served for Canada. I was happily surprised to see more people in attendance than in my first year, but I still feel as though the gym should be packed. 45 minutes is all it takes to say thank you.
But more importantly, every Remembrance Day I am reminded of my Poppa, who is still alive and chipper. He knows the comraderie, the pain, and the sacrifice that goes along with war, but looks ahead to the future with such hope. It’s as if he knows that our generation will not make the same mistakes his did.
Don’t worry Poppa. I won’t. But I’ll never forget or cease to thank those that have gone before me.
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