Gratitude: ANZAC day

April 25th is ANZAC Day. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day came originally about to commemorate the Aussies and Kiwis who served at Gallipoli in the First World War, but has since been broadened to honour all who have served their country.

ANZAC Day is traditionally commemorated by a dawn service. I attended my first dawn service with the Happy Gwailo some years ago. There’s something special about that time of morning. The world is quiet and still and even when a large crowd gathers, people talk in whispers. As the sun rises and the service begins, there’s something moving about it, even for someone non-religious and with no military background like me.

The Happy Gwailo, however, has a military background, including a posting to a war zone. The stories he tells are sometimes hair-raising. Humans are a remarkably adaptable species. When the first rocket hits, you panic, but by the time you’re a few weeks into the posting, you just grab your dinner and eat it under the table. Business as usual.

So today, I’m grateful that the Happy Gwailo is here, safe with me. I’m grateful that despite his hair-raising past, despite the many near-death experiences he’s had, he seems to have found some sort of elixir that has kept him alive so that he can be here with me today.

What are you grateful for?

This post was inspired by Discover Prompts, Day 24: Elixir.