To some these 3 words mean a lot and to others they mean nothing. Sometimes we hear these words and forget what they are truly meant to mean. They are meant to help us remember the lives of the service men and women who over the various wars have fought to keep our country safe. It is too easy to lose sight of that and become complacent in our lives. Every year we celebrate ANZAC day in Australia and until today I will admit to becoming immune to the impact of what it all means.
This morning to help my sister out, I took her boys to school while she went to work. Had I known before I left my house last night about the ANZAC day ceremony that they were holding and what to expect I would have packed a better camera than the one on my phone. Instead I was told last night that it was happening today and that if I had nothing planned it would be worth my while to stay around for it, so I did.
While I was waiting for my youngest nephews class to open there were older students walking around offering up programs and rosemary (complete with ribbons and pins) to all the parents who planned to stay. They did so politely and were very respectful of everyone, including those who said no. You could see a sense of pride on their faces as they completed this task. That should have been my first indicator that I was likely to cry before the morning was out.
As I sit here now I can honestly say that I have been reminded on how important ANZAC day is to us as individuals and as a country. It truly was a privilege to be able to attend. It was heartwarming to see the whole school get so involved in the event and even more so to see the sheer amount of children who brought flowers in to school to lay with the wreaths. Not only that, but they were just as interested to be there as the adults were. They were silent and listening attentively. With every speaker I have no doubt that they learned something new, for I know that I did.
The reminder of the reason why we celebrate ANZAC day was so clear and to see that future generations are not going to forget our past was beyond words. They celebrated with flags, New Zealand, Aboriginal and Australian and towards the end of the ceremony they released doves.
While I could capture some of the ceremony with photos, I couldn't capture the emotions that it ripped from me, nor could I capture the music. Everyone has heard the last post before, but even now it is still one piece of music that brings a tear to my eye (some days many tears). By the time that the ceremony had concluded I put my sunglasses on to hide my glassy eyes.
I will not forget today for a long time, and I will be at one of the many dawn services come ANZAC day on the 25th April. I suspect that it will be one of many. Never let yourself lose sight of what it all means. It isn't just another public holiday. It means something to our country and those who live here.
Lest we forget.
This last week has left me energised. Ok, I am still unemployed, but that is ok. I have my health and my family and awesome friends who pick me up when I fall down and feel like crap about myself. A job can always come when the time is right.
I have managed to read this week, granted not the book club book that I am meant to have read, but that is a minor detail. The other thing that I have done this wee is write. I have written a LOT! I also took a bit of a leap and tested out publishing something on Amazon. I was curious to see how hard/easy it was. Surprisingly it wasn't hard, well if you ignore the fact that I needed to create a cover. If I had to say what the hardest part was, I would say that it was actually pushing the button that said PUBLISH. I did it though and I am proud of myself for taking the leap. If nothing comes of it, I can at least say that I have done it. It is a short story and no where near as long as some of the others that I have written in the past.
Now I didn't publish under my own name so don't get excited and bother going to search for it. Like facebook I don't like my full name being out there so this one is something totally new. If you really want to know, ask and I will tell you.
So for now all is good in my world and I am happy to say that I write..... for me if no one else.
Job hunting sucks!
It has been a month since I was made
redundant and I am still looking for something new. I have no idea the
direction I want and I seem to be stuck in an endless loop of just
applying for office work as it is what I know.
With each unanswered rejection I wonder what I could have done better in my application.
With every phone interview that goes no further I wonder if I said the wrong thing.
With every face to face interview I wonder what is wrong with me.
I keep telling myself that when the time
is right I will get something, but in the back of my head I get
disheartened with every rejection.
So I repeat..... Job hunting sucks!
