Monday, July 11, 2011


I was in the grocery store this weekend and while I was at the check out counter, I saw a 20 something male with a RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) T-Shirt. He had his back to me and as he turned around, I made eye contact with him.



"Is your father in the Forces?" I asked

He was a little confused until I motioned to his T-Shirt.

"Ah, No. It's just a shirt" he replied

And maybe to him, it simply WAS just a shirt. But to me, that shirt represented a belief system, and a way of life that was decorated by blood as the cost.

"You mean that it's just a T-shirt to YOU" I said.

It took everything I had in me to pull back on myself to not verbally pounce on him because to me, it wasn't JUST a T-Shirt. -It was a way of life; a belief system to me and to the many men and women whom that shirt represented.

As I walked away, I realized how powerful language was.

To him, it was just a T-Shirt. But I'm thankful that to the men and women who defend and peace keep for Canada, that it means infinitely more than that...

1 comment:

  1. You got me again Chuck. While quickly checking my fb and emails before I leave for work, your blog caught my eye...again...made me want to take a moment to read it again...made me think about things...again.
    And now I'm late...again :)
    Love this one. Thank you.
    Jane

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