Un jour de souvenir

Today, as I sat in Church during the Remembrance day ceremony, with Mike up front in full Red Serge, carrying the Canadian flag, I thought about my Nonno, and what he must remember and think about on Remembrance day. As an Italian ex-soldier, who was living in Ethiopia at the time WWII began, he is not celebrated as a war veteran in Canada, although I am sure he is glad for those in Canada who fought for this country, as it is their sacrifices that allowed him to be able to move and live freely in Canada. But, at the same time, he must remember his friends and comrades who died for Italy, and who are not remembered in the same way for having been on the "wrong side" of the war. Yet, they were young and far removed from Hitler, and did not have a choice of whether they were in the war. Luckily, my nonno was taken prisoner by the British early on, and spent the duration working on a farm until the war's end. The real difficulties came for my nonna, who was raising the daughter my nonno didn't know existed (she was born right after he left) and the only communication they had was through letters that were blacked-out and censored.

I can imagine her fleeing Ethiopia, trying to make her way back to Italy to be safe with my Auntie Connie. Living, as she claims, for five years, on nothing but oranges, which I imagine grew abundantly in Sicily. And that was the last time she saw Africa. It must be so strange to grow up in a country, spend a quarter of your life their, and then never go back. What would it be like if I left Canada today and never returned. I have no idea what it is like to live in Tunisia, or Ethiopia, or to have no one to speak your first language to most of your life.

And yet, if they had not perservered through this time, and come to Vancouver island, my mother would not have been born in Port Alberni, where she met my Dad, where I was born, and eventually met Mike.

So today I am grateful that they made it through a separation much longer than the one I endured while Mike was training. And grateful for Mike, who and all the RCMP officers who are willing to serve and commit to the cause.