Remember ...

It's All Saints Day in Finland, really to remember the saints, but in practise to remember our dead loved ones, to bring a candle to the graves and to remember them. The graveyards are always beautiful, with hundreds of candles burning in the dark night.

This year I didn't take candles, since I'm not at home home. I actually didn't even remember what day it was really... But I much prefer doing that over Christmas anyway, that's when I go and do that.

11th Nov is the time for this country to remember yes... which is why there are so many poppy appeals right now. A reminder of the poppy fields that filled the battlegrounds of France, and the red to commemorate the bloodshed.

There are so many mixed experiences of war. Everyone was affected by it almost. On my mum's side relatives were lost, as they were on my Dad's also. My Dad's uncle went aged 16 because he wanted to fight for his country, he got injured, but managed to survive both Paschendale and the Somme. What killed him was not the war, or shellshock, but cigarettes... and it was in an army field hospital that he was given his first cigarette. It was put in his mouth and lit for him since he couldn't move and he was a heavy smoker his whole life. A miracle that he survived to about age 80.

Sorry to ramble on there, but it's an interesting story to me, though probably not to the rest of you. I don't always buy the poppie's but I always think about what happened, and sometimes it really gets to me.

Wow! What a sad story. Back then they didn't fully understand the dangers of cigarettes. I am sorry.

Ow yes ... it's about the same like you say Laura ... All saints day but we remember our beloved persons ... We also have 11th November as a remember-day for WW.