In Honour Of...

Hi.

In honour of all those who have sacrificed to afford us freedoms that we all too often take for granted, thank you.

Thank you is a phrase much too small and profoundly weak to represent the measure of gratitude owed. It's not just the ones who wear the uniforms, it's those who love them, those who need them, those who want them home. 

You need not look far to witness the costs of fighting for those freedoms. There are too many places in this world where being free is still a seemingly impossible dream.

Oppression is real. It's everywhere. Consequences of oppression hit hardest those directly held down and held back. It then filters through to systems, laws, and perceptions, skewing the vision of those who live in privilege. 

Oppressing any swath of humanity creates a society that twists itself in knots trying to convince itself that it can be successful in doing so. History has shown us relentlessly that oppression is not a sustainable way to co-exist.

There is no group of humans, race, religion, or culture, that has any legitimate reason to feel superior to another. None. Because of this, trying to perpetuate a narrative that tries to support that in any way is doomed to fail. Thankfully.

So, thank you.

Without those who have, and continue to sacrifice, I wouldn't be able to write this. Democracy wouldn't exist. The hope and fight for equality couldn't happen. 

Freedom is never free, spend it wisely. 

Let's honour our vets. 

Honour them by supporting them, and not just when they are deployed. They need us when they get home. Their families need us. 

Honour them by not using our freedoms to strip the freedoms from others. 

Honour them by living peacefully, and by simply letting others do the same.

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May the pieces of you that shattered, become a new, beautiful mosaic, still recognized and loved, but different than before.

May your mosaic be appreciated, admired, cared for, and respected, especially if the shattering is yet incomplete, for to shatter repeatedly leaves you raw and sore. 

May you, in your masterpiece, never fear a shift, a change, a growth, for by now you know, that shattered and broken are two very different things.

May you remain courageous, find yourself, reach for what you need, scream if you have to, find your voice, and sing. 

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