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November 11th this year sees us hold two contrasting emotions in tension. We commemorate, as we do every year, the sacrifice of lives given in service to our country. This year, however, we celebrate too: a century since that First World War came to an end.

In the last four years much work has been done to research the (mainly) men whose names are recorded on our war memorials. Projects across the country have sought to give them faces and to find out about their lives before the war. It is important that they are remembered and honoured.

Maybe this year we will remember too those who lived; those who came back. Nothing could erase the horrors they had seen, the conditions in which they had lived or the fear that they had experienced. Many were wounded or maimed and many more would carry the scars to their mental health for the rest of their lives. They were a generation who did not speak of their experiences, but got on with trying to live as best they could.

All those who helped to establish the peace that returned to this country in November 2018 were heroes and all should be honoured for their example of selfless service. We will remember them.

In our society and in our community today there are those who quietly live a comparable life of selfless service. They are often hard to identify or name because they do not draw attention to themselves or their actions. None-the-less they are working on, usually in the background, maintaining the peace of our “ordinary” lives.

At this time of the year, when we remember so many different things, and pause to take stock, perhaps a careful look around us will help us to spot these modern heroes and heroines, giving of themselves, just as those long remembered soldiers did. If you can identify one of them, thank them and help them to know that their quiet contribution to our world is appreciated.

 

May the peace of God fill your homes and your hearts,

Lynn

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