October was so busy with Thanksgiving, Oktoberfest, and Halloween that I didn’t have much time to think about what I might do for bracelets in November until it was already November. I knew that it was too early to start my Christmas bracelets but I wasn’t coming up with too many other ideas. And then I spotted my coat and I realized that I had overlooked a very important day.
I’m not really sure why it never occurred to me to make a Remembrance Day bracelet. I always wear a poppy on my coat. Several of the bead lines have beads that represent poppies (although I have none of them). I think I was afraid of being disrespectful by creating a bracelet around a solemn occasion. But, as I thought about it some more, the idea grew on me. I wear my poppy on my coat as a symbol of remembrance, so there’s no reason that I can’t also wear a symbol of remembrance on my wrist.
I’ve been wearing this combination for almost a week now, and I actually feel like it’s made me more aware of Remembrance Day and the meaning behind it than just wearing a poppy has in past years. For me, it’s a more visual reminder of the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country. And the sad reality that some sacrificed their lives in that service.
They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.
– The Act of Remembrance
from “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon
We will remember them.