Since November began, some of you might have noticed a little addition to the design of this blog – specifically, in the banner. What you see there is a poppy, and it’s something that we pin to our coats and jackets here in Canada in the days leading up to Remembrance Day (which is today, November 11th).

We wear these little red flowers to honour those who have served in our armed forces, and who have given their lives in the name of our way of life. While this observance goes back ninety years, it has felt even more resonant in the last decade with my country’s troops stationed and risking their lives in Afghanistan.

Therefore, as the tradition goes, my country and many others will observe a moment of silence at 11am today, on this eleventh day of the eleventh month, to honour those who died so that we might live.

For a minute or two, I thought about doing a list of great war films, or revisiting a dvd favorite like THE THIN RED LINE…but such gestures seem trivial, and perhaps a disservice. So if you’ll pardon me, I’m going to take a day away from talk of movies. Instead, I quote the great poet and say…

…Lest We Forget.