Today is Armistice Day. World War I ended on this day 95 years ago. We remember the soldiers from this war and all the other wars who did not grow old, who did not come home.

We arrived at Dapto Mall at 11 o’clock in the morning right at the start of the remembrance minute. Everybody stopped in their tracks for the remembrance. Where Peter and I stood there was a flower-shop nearby. Later on I started taking pictures of the beautiful flowers. The sales-woman approached me asking whether she could do anything for me.I said I’d just like to take some pictures of the flowers. And the woman let me do this and went on with her work sorting out and arranging flowers for display.

The flower shop is right in the middle of the walkway. In the shop on the other side I noticed a lot of For Sale signs and took pictures.

Apparently the Post Shop provides a service for travellers. And last but not least I noticed a display to entice people to buy something for their babies.

Armistice means: A state of peace agreed to between opponents so they can discuss peace terms.
Maybe ninety-five years ago people were hoping that this had been the war to end all wars. How many people have been sent to war since then? Why cannot people live in peace everywhere in every country?

Even without wars, how many people are there who loose their lives in natural disasters? Thinking of the mass casualties after super typhoon Haiyan swept the Philippines last Friday, I feel very weepy. So many people died, and so many people lost everything and need an awful lot of help just to survive. The pictures of devastation are horrendous. All the countries and agencies who are in a position to organise some kind of help work none stop to do just this right now. This is wonderful that there are people in this world to give selflessly of their expertise and time not matter what the difficulties. Sometimes they give their lives so that others can live, same as all the soldiers who are remembered today. We should never forget their sacrifice.