In this blog, one of Campbell & Haliburton Insurance brokers, Daryl Arendt, provides a touching and warm story in honour of Remembrance Day.

 

Remembrance Day

 

A number of years ago I had the opportunity to hear “The Backwards Memory Guy” speak. He was absolutely fascinating!  He could write forward and backwards, with both his hands and his feet.  Not only that, he could talk backwards. Pretty amazing stuff. He wasn’t there to entertain (although he did); he was there to give us memory techniques. Sadly, I don’t remember any of his memory techniques. Nor do I actually remember his name.  He was great. But my memory…  Well, that’s another story.

I would guess I’m not the only one who has trouble remembering. We are not bad people. We are just human. Further, as humans, we tend to have faulty memories. We remember the things we should forget and forget the things we should remember. So this month I’m going to ask you to join with me to set this right.

 

Memories – Lest We Forget

 

It is too easy, for me at any rate, to remember all the wrong things. I can remember all the wrongs and slights that have been done to me. I find it easy to remember cruel and unkind words that have been spoken to me. It is very easy to remember when I’ve been passed over for something that I wanted. Or, when someone else received an accolade that really, rightly should have been mine. When I remember those things I become selfish, petty and bitter. That’s not who I want to be. I need to choose to not remember those things.

We can’t forget all the good things that we do need to remember.  Sadly, however, those are the things that we tend to forget. We live in the greatest country on earth. We have freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom to be right, freedom to be wrong. We have a democratically elected government. We have a healthcare system that provides care for people from all walks of life and all socio-economic backgrounds. We live in a country that truly is a mosaic, people from different backgrounds, cultures, religions and world views live together peaceably and tolerantly.

We have this, in no small part, because of the men and women who gave their lives so that you and I could enjoy ours. It is too easy to forget what others have done for us.

This is one thing I remember. This is one thing I never forget.

Daryl Arendt

Sincerely,

Daryl Arendt