Bear in Mind

I was in Edmonton last November and I witnessed a ceremony organized by a group called No Stone Left Alone. Since 2011, people have gathered in cemeteries to do a simple, yet powerful gesture—lay a poppy on the gravestone of a Canadian who served in the military, to show that they are remembered.

The goal is simple—encourage Canadian youth to visit the graves of Veterans. The beginnings were modest, with only a handful of students involved, but in 2019 more than 12,000 students laid over 60,000 poppies in communities across Canada. Wow, that’s impressive and the numbers are growing! What moves me the most in the events organized by No Stone Left Alone is how involved and interested students are in remembering our Veterans. When they lay their poppies on the headstones, students read aloud the name of the Veteran. It helps make a personal connection.

Bears like me are big and strong, but seeing young students laying poppies touched me deeply. This year, ask your teacher to get involved and you, too, could bear a hand and help spread remembrance in your community.