“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” - Cynthia Ozick
On November 11, 1999 Canadian songwriter Terry Kelly was in a drugstore in Dartmouth when he heard an overhead announcement asking customers who would be in the store at 11:00 a.m. to participate in two minutes of silence, in honour of those who fought to defend our country.
The announcement made an impression on Terry; the store’s support of the Royal Canadian Legion’s two minutes of silence to remember those who had given all, he felt, was laudable.
A few minutes later, the announcement commencing the two minutes was made. Every person other than one man who was at the store with his young child honoured the silence.
As the man ignored the symbolic gesture of respect, and tried to get the store clerk into a conversation, Terry’s anger was overwhelming. While the store was showing leadership and acknowledgement of the need for education about the cost of war, this man was teaching a much more personal lesson to his child – one of disrespect and selfishness.
Terry took that anger, and wrote the well-known song “A Pittance of Time”
If you haven’t watched this video yet, I strongly recommend that you do -- and then ask yourself what pittance of time you’re willing to give this November 11 to honour the brave, selfless souls who put their lives on the line so that freedom could continue.
Does your business allow the Royal Canadian Legion to display a poppy collection box on site? (If not, why not?)
Do you display wreaths of remembrance in your windows?
Do you attend your local Remembrance Day ceremonies?
Is your business closed on November 11 in respect? Or if it can’t be, are you at least willing to acknowledge the sacrifice of thousands of young men and women through a two-minute period of reflection?
Does your business offer special pricing or deals for members of the Legion and the Armed Forces?
Are you willing to provide leadership through education of young people about how awful war is, by taking part in public ceremonies on November 11, or volunteering in schools as part of their Remembrance Day services?
Will you visit a local seniors’ centre or care home to visit any remaining Veterans, or to speak to their relatives who may live there?
Can you make time to write a letter of thanks and remembrance, and share it by sending it to your local newspaper for publication as an op/ed piece?
Will you donate to the Legion so that it can continue its work, or apply to join it (if someone in your family served)? Time is often the most precious gift, and the existing Legion members are getting older and need help with their mandate.
And as Terry Kelly notes, this time will mean nothing to you in the end, but it will mean a lot to someone else. It’s a pittance of time.
“Take two minutes would you mind?
It’s a pittance of time
For the boys and the girls all over
May we never forget our young become vets
At the end of the line, it’s a pittance of time.”
- Terry Kelly
