Earlier in the year we were in our country's capital and
everyone had told us to go and see the War Memorial & Museum there.
Now i am not a big fan of any kind of glorification of war.
I know people go to war, governments chose to fight and
i am free and prosperous because i do not live in a country in conflict.
I am a sensitive person, aware of the rich history of war in my own genealogy.
My children have great grandparents from at least 6 different countries.
Humans have always been nomads.
Moving from place to place, walking across countries,
away from persecution, toward exile and safety.
That has been true for our own families.
I walk with the knowledge of these histories with me each day.
I try not to take the abundance i have for granted.
So we went at the end of a busy day.
The museum was closing.
I find the information within war museums very difficult.
Having travelled around the world i have been unable
to enter some places for the grief and energy that has overwhelmed me.
I know they are vital to keep war away, educating and reminding us of all that is lost.
The horror that we humans can inflict and endure.
But mainly i know that the reflection on the human spirit is strong in place like this.
A focus on the bravery, tenacity, justice and prevailing desire for freedom and peace.
I feel it all.
The walls are lined with the names of Australian fallen men and women,
who have given their lives.
The poppies stain the walls red by loved ones, friends and admirers.
Too many lives, my chest felt tight.
We walked towards the tomb of the unknown soldier.
Inside a silent reverence prevails.
A blanket of emotions, prickly and all-consuming.
Like a church, with no one denomination.
Here is a place for everyone.
Tears flow freely for those lost, in time, in places unknown.
Their names blowing in the breeze of eternity.
At this time my family were not Australian.
Their land was torn apart by 2 armed forces.
One a liberator, then an oppressor.
I am overcome with emotion thinking of my own ancestors.
I am devastated by 4 words....
THEY GAVE THEIR LIVES
Etched into the stone above the mausoleum.
The pool of remembrance, sparkles with silver from the coins holding wishes
for peace, liberty, justice and hope.
My hope is that our children will remember this place,
our conversations and the feelings they had while here.
The eternal flame burns in the pool.
I am reminded that anything is possible.
May the angels of the past continue to inspire creative solutions
towards everlasting peace and goodwill toward all people.
In Australia it is ANZAC Day on the 25th of April.
A national day of remembrance, i will say a a silent little prayer of thanks, because i can.
Will you?
May you sparkle brightly,
and twirl every chance you get,
because you can.
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