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I found myself in Ottawa at the end of October when the local newscast announced that the Poppy Drop would begin on October 28th and conclude on November 11th, Remembrance Day.

With the weather cooperating my friend and I ventured out Saturday night. Parking was easy to find and we were pleased that the crowds were obviously holding off till closer to the Remembrance Day ceremonies.

The Virtual Poppy Drop is organized by the Royal Canadian Legion. My research shows that this is the first year for this virtual Poppy Drop. I feel so very fortunate to have witnessed this special presentation. Images of Canada’s fallen soldiers were projected onto two large screens near the Centennial (also known as Peace Flame). Solemn groups of people gathered to pay tribute to these men and women who  sacrificed their lives during peace keeping and combat missions Canada was involved in.

Standing back, reflecting quietly on the scene I realized how much I appreciate my chosen home country. This was my third visit to Parliament Hill over the past six years. In 2012 we explored the Peace Tower during the day. The colourful display of virtual poppies moving across the tower while standing next to the Peace Flame made this evening quite emotional for this Canadian Citizen.

Here is a link to the Remembrance Day post I published four years ago, just in case you would like to reread it.  Let us take a moment this year and reflect on the past so we learn from and work toward avoiding future wars and senseless loss of life!

11 Nov This entry was published on November 11, 2016 at 5:55 am. It’s filed under Art, History, In the News, Journaling, staying in touch, Travel and tagged Lest we forget, Parliament Hill in Ottawa - ON, Poppy Drop 2016 on the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Remembrance Day. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.