Lapel poppy

Everyone in Canada should know what this is.

Most everyone in the UK would know too, although the ones they distribute are in a different style. People in New Zealand and Australia would probably recognise it, even though they'd likely associate it with ANZAC Day more than the 11th of November.

For those not in the know, it's a poppy.

And why have I got a very obviously fake poppy on my coat lapel? Well, it's Remembrance Day here in Canada. The poppy is a remembrance of those members of the armed forces who have died in the service of their country, and for me (and many others) it's an extremely important remembrance. In my case, it's for a grandfather I never knew. He was a veteran of World War II, and even though he didn't die in battle this is still a day when I think about him and what he did.

I'm not going to go on about the shoulds and shouldn'ts of war because I don't think this is the time or place. The fact is, countries send people to war and some of those people die. Whether or not we agree with the why, we should still appreciate the sacrifice.

The poppy's a pretty powerful symbol, and to be honest I'm not sure why the United States (which is usually very good at picking up on symbols) never adopted it. True, it was originally suggested by a poem written by a Canadian and published in the British Punch Magazine, but the custom of wearing a poppy in remembrance of the lost WWI soldiers was started by an American named Moina Michael. It just seems odd that it didn't catch on in her homeland.

Anyway, if I keep typing I'll be running into the moment of silence so I'm going to stop here. I had more, but I guess I'll just end by saying that I hope you've taken a little time to remember that this day is much more than the excuse for a long weekend.

It is to me.