At The Village of Glendale Crossing and across all of Schlegel Villages, residents, team members and guests gathered in quiet reverence on November 11, united by the single calling of remembrance.
The morning began with words that set the tone for reflection. “As we grow older, it may be harder to remember,” said Chaplain Hans VanEyk as he began the ceremony, “but one thing we should never forget is remembrance itself . . . and those who sacrificed their lives.”
Throughout the Village, the familiar red poppy was pinned to lapels as a simple, powerful reminder of the promise that has echoed for more than a century: Lest we forget.
Voices joined together for the national anthem, before silence fell at the eleventh hour. The haunting sound of the Last Post filled the air as those present bowed their heads, honouring the millions who served, and the more than 100,000 Canadians who never came home – not only in the great wars of the 20th Century but also up to present day.
To see tears slide down the worn cheeks of the oldest veterans hits hard in all hearts.
Stories of courage and sacrifice were shared — names like Corporal Fred Bernard, who stormed Juno Beach in 1944 and lost his brother that same day, and George Price, the final Canadian soldier to die in the First World War just two minutes before the armistice was signed. Their stories, and those of countless others, carry the weight of a nation’s gratitude.
But remembrance at Glendale Crossing wasn’t only about looking back, it was also about how we carry those memories forward.
Colin Hendry, a Glendale resident who served five years in the army and later in the Air Force, reflected on his own time in uniform and the lessons passed down through his family.
“My grandmother lost too many people in Britain during the war,” he shared quietly. “She made sure I went to church and remembered every November 11. That was her way of keeping their memory alive.”
Colin’s own military journey took him from training fields to leadership opportunities, and later to community work that bridged generations. His experiences — and the losses his family endured — shaped how he sees remembrance today.
“It’s about the future generations,” he said. “We can’t just hold ceremonies once a year and expect kids to understand. Give them stories — real stories. Go into the schools, tell them what it meant, what it cost. You don’t have to show them war — just help them understand what people gave so they could have a better life.”
His words echoed the very purpose of Remembrance Day — to ensure that remembrance lives on not only in ceremony, but in conversation, education, and the quiet moments when gratitude turns to understanding.
And so, within The Village of Glendale Crossing, in Villages across the organization and in communities across the country where memories live and stories are shared, the spirit of remembrance endures, carried in hearts like Colin’s, and passed on to those still learning what it truly means to remember.
Lest we forget.
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