Remembrance Day

IT IS JUST A PIECE OF CLOTH
Written by Douglas R. Cowden

Read by Douglas R. Cowden at the annual Remembrance Day service at the Chelsea Pioneer Cemetery on November 11, 2008.

Background
"I wrote this in support of our flag, our military forces, and those who died serving our country, and in memory of my uncle, Pte. Richard Rowland Thompson, who is buried in this cemetery."

Douglas R. Cowden

That's all it is, just a piece of cloth. You can count the threads in it and it's no different than any other piece of cloth.

But then a gentle breeze comes along and it stirs and sort of comes to life. It flutters and snaps in the wind all red and white.

It has your whole life wrapped up in it. The maple leaf makes you feel just as free as the wind that stirs it. To me the red bars represent the blood that has been shed and is still being shed for our freedom.

Just a piece of cloth. That's all it is until you put your soul into it and all your soul stands for and what it aspires to be.

For all of us it is a symbol of liberty, decency and justice. Yes our flag is just a piece of cloth until we breathe life into it, until we make it stand for everything we believe in.

Douglas R. Cowden @ 2008