Every year when winter draws nearer, I always stop to reflect on how my year has gone. Amongst the preparations for Christmas and New Year's, I remember to be grateful for everything my family and I have been through, good and bad. I also step back and think of those who are no longer with us to celebrate such events. As one of my favourite exchanges of dialogue from a certain Australian children's TV show goes:

"Sometimes special people come into our lives, stay for a bit, and then they have to go."

"But that's sad."

"It is. But the bit where they were here was happy, wasn't it?"

Of course, when an event like Remembrance Day comes around, honouring loved ones is just the tip of the iceberg. The most important thing to remind ourselves of is our commitment to make sure tragedy doesn't happen again, and that we do not contribute to the suffering that's already rife in the world. Violence is never the answer, but unfortunately our leaders do not agree.

So this year I want to draw your attention to a song I taught one of my choirs back in 2022 - Remember Flanders Fields by Sandra Klassen. The music hub I worked for at the time was collecting video performances from local schools to present to the Major for Remembrance Day, and this was my effort. The children were incredibly proud of their achievements, especially those who were taking part in a performance for the first time.

As we began learning the song together, I wanted to highlight the theme of peace, drawing parallels between the First and Second World Wars and the rising tensions of today (at the time, the most significant one was still the conflict between Russia and Ukraine). The kids were already very knowledgeable and understood instantly the importance of a song like this, especially with its lyrics like: "Shine a light, say a prayer, silence warfare everywhere. Sing a song, get along, take the time to care." Ultimately, it's a song about kindness.

If you'll let me, I'd like to ask you to ponder these questions this Remembrance Day: Am I kind to everyone I meet? Do I cause anyone harm, even by accident? And if I do, how can I make sure I don't do it again? Moving forward, what can I do to grow and learn from my mistakes, and make the world that little bit better?