On the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month; the guns fell silent.

It’s been a busy year, and my blog has fallen by the wayside with few postings in 2022.

But on this Remembrance Day 2022, I want to share a story...

In 1914, a 16-year-old walked into a recruiting office in London, England, eager to join the army. The smiling recruiting officer asked, "How old are you, lad?" The boy replied, "I am sixteen, sir!" The officer said, "Come back when you are eighteen, son." The boy walked around the quadrangle, returned to the officer, and said, "I am eighteen now, sir." The officer handed him a form, saying, "Fill this in, sign here, and here is your shilling."

That young man was Ronald Bell Taylor, my future father-in-law. At sixteen, he went to World War I and returned in 1919 as a twenty-one-year-old man. His younger sister recounted to me, some thirty years ago, how the entire family—he was one of ten children—rushed to the railway station to welcome home a "man of the world." Ron always told his son, Mark, that "war changes men." Sadly, Ron passed away before I met Mark, so I never had the honor of meeting him. He spent much of his life ensuring that others who did not fare as well were taken care of. "Service before self" was his motto.

At the Spirit of Life, we are honored to care for veterans, their wives, and widows every day. Breast cancer does not discriminate, affecting even those who serve.

On this Remembrance Day, Mark and I remember the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform, past and present, to ensure we all sleep safely at night.

Lest we forget.

A 16 year old Ron Taylor in WW1