V E Day Celebrations

It was wonderful to watch the VE celebrations on Friday although it was such a shame that they had to be carried out in isolation.

One of the streets in Chester (above) actually made it to be shown on national TV with their music and re-enactment of the day 75 years ago.

Nothing quite as dramatic happened on the street where I live. In the most part people seem to keep themselves to themselves although we are becoming friendlier on our daily walks and when we all come out on Thursdays to show our appreciation for the NHS and key workers. 

It was wonderful though to watch the celebrations on Friday evening. This could be the last time  that we have a chance to thank the brave men and women who gave up so much to make sure that our country was spared the dictatorship of Hitler. 

They fought to keep this country free and we all owe them such a huge debt. The sacrifices of everyone who went through both world wars should never be forgotten.

And yet now we are fighting a war of our own. A very different kind of war but the song 'We'll Meet Again' bears resonance today. I'm sure we all have loved ones whose we would love to hug and spend some time with. I haven't seen my mum since the middle of March because she lives too far away and contact with my gorgeous grandchildren is sporadic and only through a window.

But I consider myself lucky. I'm living with my family and for the most part we are all getting on well - so much better than I thought we would, being cooped up all together. 

And so we might have our freedom restricted for the moment, but we all know that this time will pass. Those who lived through the two world wars didn't have such security and still they fought on bravely. We have so much to thank them for.

Lest We Forget

I couldn't post on Remembrance Sunday without paying tribute to all the men and women who have given up their lives to keep this country free.

 

I always make sure that my boys attend a Remebrance service, because I think it's important for the younger generation to realise what previous young men and women have done for us.

 

I've been doing some research on the Second World War, particularly reading accounts of people who survived in the Forgotten Voices series of books, and  I have been humbled by what people have been prepared to do to keep this county safe.

 

It's all to easy, with the passage of time, to forget the sacrifices which have been made, and I feel that our children, who really are living in a time of privilege, should be made aware of just how lucky they are.

 

In church today, the children spoke of our freedom.  Without the people who fought in previous wars, whether they lived or died, we wouldn't today have the priviledge of that freedom, and that is something more than worthy of remembrance.

 

So, this blog post, is my message of thanks, to all those people who scraficed so much for our futurres.  We owe you so much.