Dear Parents,

What is courage? According to the Oxford dictionary, courage is:

• the ability to do something that frightens one.
• strength in the face of pain or grief.

Or according to Merriam-Webster:

• mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty

When we look at these definitions, what stands out is that courage bubbles up when challenges and adversity come against us. It cannot be shaped by comfort and ease, but rather forged in the fires of the difficulties that we face. It is about facing our fears and anxieties, all the while taking one step forward at a time. Franklin D. Roosevelt put it this way: “Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

In the case of our veterans who fought in the great wars in Europe, they put their country and family ahead of their fears to courageously fight for freedom. Their sacrifices and ability to push forward courageously is what we reflect on as we approach Remembrance Day.

We also recognize that we often lack courage in and of ourselves. Our intentions and mindset are not always enough to push us forward, but rather we need something more. In Psalm 56:3-4, we read that, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God, I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”. According to these verses, fear will come and we will need to make a decision whom we will trust. This is where the words of the Psalmist provide us with hope and ignite courage in us.

Regardless of the challenges and difficulties that you may be experiencing today, I hope that you will be encouraged to push forward courageously. Let us also take time this Remembrance Day to think about the sacrifices that our veterans and countless Canadians have made to ensure that we live in a peaceful country. A special thank you goes out to our grade 7 students and staff who helped us to begin this reflective process as part of our chapel time today.

Blessings,
J-D Lussier