We often hear the phrase “standing on the shoulders of giants,” which generally refers to using the understanding gained by those who have come before us.

A popular example of the phrase is said to have appeared in a 1675 letter by Sir Isaac Newton:

“If I have seen further [than others], it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

I’m thinking of this today because it is Remembrance Day here in Canada, and in the other Commonwealth countries, and possibly others as well. It’s also Veterans Day in the U.S.

We pause to honour the soldiers who have courageously given their lives, for the rest of us. This day is significant because in 1918, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the war came to an end. We wear poppies to symbolize the poppies that were growing in the fields where many fallen soldiers were laid to rest.

It’s safe to say that many of us stand on the shoulders of giants.

For me personally, three of my four grandparents served in World War 2. My dad’s dad was with the Air Force. My mom’s parents were both in the Army. My grandmother was a nurse and my grandfather was in the infantry. He stormed Juno Beach on D-Day. That’s a far cry from what I was doing at his age.

It’s not lost on me how lucky I am that they all came home. And how fortunate I am to be able to stand on their shoulders today.

To all of you who have similar stories, of people in your lives that came before you, and made it possible for you to become “you,” we can be thankful together.

Cheers!

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago 
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.