As I set out for my dog walk, the early morning was unfolding like a beautiful postcard. The breeze was brisk, the temperature was cool, the geese were floating just off shore, a beautiful day at the lake.
I was soon walking beside the “Flags of Remembrance” along Lakeshore Drive. I always think of my dad, who fought overseas during the Second World War. He was a proud soldier who saw and did things that changed him, as it did for many a man. Suddenly I am seeing a disrespectful act that only someone not thinking or ignorant would do. Two of the flag poles have been intentionally bent to the ground and one of the flags is missing.
Anger was not an emotion I felt, instead I felt a deep sense of sadness. I take these kinds of actions to be hurtful to the memory of those that gave us what we have today. My dad gave up a lot and so did so many others. Those flags represent my father’s memory and the memory of all the others involved in conflict. I hope that those persons responsible will give thought and repentance for the mistake they made. The poles and flag are easily replaced but it is the intent, behaviour and disrespect that really needs replacement. As I walked past the flags, I thought to myself “is it possible to grow up today and not understand the meaning of the sanctity of remembrance that the display and Remembrance Day represent?” I like to believe, not.
My walk soon took a much more positive turn as I watched the beginning of the magnificent Christmas display the Town of Sylvan Lake presents each year for the holiday season along Lakeshore Drive and the pier.
I continued walking up main street only to be confronted with pumpkins. Not just one or two but rather hundreds. I took a stroll through the municipal office grounds and enjoyed the artistic carvings and decorations of so many donors. I have stumbled through the “Pumpkin Trail.” What a magnificent idea and one that I truly enjoyed. There sure are a lot of very creative people in Sylvan Lake.
Today’s walk was filled with many sights and sounds, some bad but a whole lot more good.
Oh, the luck to live in Sylvan Lake!
Barry Johns, Sylvan Lake