November 18, 2020
Dear 5th Ward Family
Well, let’s deal with first things first. I told you last week that I had chosen to stay in Medicine Hat last weekend because of the forecast blizzard, both here in Cardston and in the Hat. The snow indeed arrived as predicted and I’m sure you’ve all been digging out. When I decided to stay in my eastern abode, I contacted a friend and made arrangements to have him use his Skidsteer to plow my driveway for me once the storm stopped. I certainly didn’t want to have Lori think she needed to shovel it, although truth be told I also didn’t want her driving on the snow and packing it down. Sure enough, when I checked our security cameras on Monday night, the driveway had been cleared. I immediately contacted my friend to thank him profusely for moving all that snow and he informed me he had been at work all day long and continued to be there, even though it was long past 10 pm. He also told me he was suffering vertigo and didn’t know if he’d have been able to drive his Skidsteer anyway. I asked him if he’d had anyone else go do my driveway. He said no. So, that leaves a mystery Lori and I have been dealing with: who shovelled our driveway? If it’s someone who’s reading this letter, please accept our heartfelt gratitude. Your service is greatly appreciated.
I’m going to add two more examples of service we experienced this week. Lori had an appointment downtown on Monday morning at 9:00 am. She couldn’t drive down because of the snow, so she decided to walk. She didn’t get far before a ward member stopped to pick her up and gave her a ride. When the appointment was over, she started out for home when another ward member stopped and picked her up and gave her a ride. Thank you so much for your help and consideration.
So I drove home Tuesday night on roads I wouldn’t recommend, especially from Lethbridge to Cardston. We missed having a local ceremony for Remembrance Day this year. Many of us are of a generation where our forebears likely served and sacrificed, in some cases offering the ultimate sacrifice, to preserve the freedoms that we enjoy today. As an example, my father and 4 of my mother’s brothers all wore the uniform during World War II, while Lori’s Uncle Chuck was killed in a training accident while stationed on the West Coast in the early months of the war. Many local names like Cahoon, Caldwell, Leavitt, Jensen, McMurray and Bunnage are among those who lost their lives in either the First or Second World Wars. As I indicated, I missed the local ceremony, so I went to our Cardston Legion Branch #170 facebook page to see if they had Roll of Honour listed. Instead, they had a link to to the Town of Cardston YouTube page for “Cardston’s Fallen Heroes”. It is a wonderful combination of names and photographs of those men who gave their lives. What a stirring tribute. I recommend it to you. (link below)
I was just a generation removed from those men who served and was lucky enough to know many of them. I can say that those whom I did know were unassuming for the most part. They rarely discussed their wartime experiences, although one was quick to point out that he met his wife while she nursed him to health in a military hospital after he was wounded in action. My Uncle Jim, who served as a radioman in the tank corp, used to laugh at Hollywood’s attempts to depict what war was really like, but he had a lifelong habit of ducking whenever a car backfired and caught him by surprise. The point I make is that their experiences impacted them in a lasting fashion. My father thought it was both an honour and a responsibility to join his comrades on Nov. 11 in commemoration. He taught me the importance of learning from history and respecting the participants.
So November 11 has come and gone and we put away our poppies for another year. But let’s not forget the sacrifices made and lessons learned. We benefit every day from those who have gone before. Lori shared something with me that she saw this week on that point: “We don’t know them but we owe them.” Sage advice indeed.
We will press on this week with Sacrament Meeting and, until we hear otherwise, expect to have another meeting in two weeks time. As I keep reminding you, we are still in the grip of this pandemic. The government has just announced new restrictions that will impact some of the things we want to do. Please follow the guidelines. We again remind you to bring a mask with you when you attend church. Please wear it. We will open the overflow doors to give more room for people to spread out. Please don’t socialize, and, if you are ill, or elderly, or are immunocompromised, please stay home.
Christmas is fast approaching. I know that because it seems every evening is spent watching Hallmark Christmas movies. Of course, I think they started airing those in July, but I’m really not complaining. Frankly it’s refreshing to have entertainment that focuses on positive Christmas messages.
Usually, it is a message of hope, which is the quintessential Christmas message. When Christ was born, He brought Hope of redemption through His atoning sacrifice.
In Romans 15:13 we read:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s focus on this hope of joy and peace as we approach the Christmas season.
Stay safe, stay healthy and social distance.
We love you all.
Bishop Brooks
https://www.cardston.ca/news/post/lest-we-forget-cardstons-fallen-heroes
