77. Today I am grateful for those who fought for our freedom

Harry Johnson, WWI

Today at 11:00 many people paused for two minutes of silence to remember those who have fought to keep our country free. I went to a Remembrance Day ceremony today at the University of Alberta and behind me sat two young children with their grandparents who they talked to them a bit about Remembrance Day and what it meant. The little boy started talking about soldiers and said “Soldiers are people who go to war because they care about their country. Some of them come back and some of them don’t”. I thought that was pretty profound coming from a child who was probably about 5 or 6. I also appreciated that these grandparents where teaching their grandchildren the importance of remembering.   

On Remembrance Day there are two soldiers that I like to take the time to remember: My Grandpa Harry George Arthur Johnson and Great Grandfather Harry Johnson.

Harry G.A. Johnson, WWII

Great Grandpa Harry was born June 25, 1873 in Binfield, Berkshire, England and later moved to Fulham in London. He   served in the First World War with the 1^st battalion of the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment). During his service he became terminally ill and was sent home where he died on April 7, 1917. He is buried in the Fulham old cemetery among the other casualties of the First World War. He left behind a wife and six children, ranging in ages from 7 months old to 14 years old.

Grandpa Harry was born April 16, 1906 in Fulham, London, England. I recently found the ship record that shows that he immigrated to Canada when he was 18 years old. He landed in Halifax and lived in several parts of Canada before settling in Vancouver. When the Second World War broke out, like his father, Harry Jr. also answered the call to serve his country. Grandpa Harry served with the 10th Field Squadron Royal Canadian Engineers. I have his war medals that were given to me by one of my uncles which is a pretty cool heirloom to be in possession of.  I was 6 years old when my Grandpa Harry died but I do have fond memories of him which I am grateful for.

Grave site of Harry Johnson
Fulham, London, England

My Grandpa wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread across his father’s grave site. My uncle fulfilled his request and took his remains to England. In 2001, I went to London, England with my dad and we visited Great Grandpa Harry’s grave site. In memory of My Grandpa and his service with the Canadian army we placed a small Canadian flag at the grave site.

 I am grateful for the service given by my grandpa and Great Grandpa and hope to pass on their stories to future generations.

Is there anyone in particular that you remember on Remembrance Day? What is their story?

“At the going down of the sun and in the morning
  We will remember them.”

(For The Fallen, Laurence Binyon)

76. Today I am grateful for little surprises

I got into work this morning to find a pretty mug and package of apple cider on my desk. Little things like that do help you to feel appreciated, especially when it is not expected.

75. Today I am grateful for dental & health benefits

I have now passed the 3 month mark at my job and received information about the benefits package. There isn’t anything I immediately need but it is reassuring to have benefits.

74. Today I am grateful for gloves to keep my hands warm

I have only had to wear a hat and scarf a few times this fall but my hands get cold easily. Therefore, I am grateful for gloves to keep my hands warm.

73. Today I am grateful for Hymns

As part of my scripture study I like to listen to a hymn and then read the corresponding scriptures that are listed in the hymn book. I love the spirit that is felt by the hymns. Music can have a powerful influence on the lives of individuals, for good and bad. I am grateful for good music, particularly hymns. Hymns have the power to comfort in times of need, help us to feel spiritually uplifted and increase our understanding of gospel doctrines and principles.  

72. Today I am grateful for an extra hour of sleep

Early this morning Day Lights Savings Time ended and the clocks were moved back an hour. I heard of a few people who stayed up to watch the time change from 2am to 1am. I guess it would be kind of neat, like waiting for midnight Jan. 1 for a new year to start. Well, maybe not quite. However, I defiantly took advantage of sleeping in a bit by going to bed early and getting the extra hour of sleep. In fact, I slept in longer than expected. I like to wake up early on Sunday so I had set my alarm for what I had thought was 7:30 but really I had set it for 8:30. However, having gotten used to waking up in the dark, I ended up waking up at 8 because the sun was shining through my bedroom window.

71. Today I am grateful for The New Family Search program

It seems that many genealogy websites have been striving to create a “world pedigree”, a family tree linking the world together. The site that comes closest to this is The New.Familysearch website. It is really cool, I could write a lot about it but I would recommend for everyone to check it out for themselves and register. I have had and continue to have success with this program and I love it.

Several years ago I was a stake family history consultant and attended a meeting where this program was first introduced. A lot of work and planning went into this program as well as lots of beta testing. It combines various genealogical records and resources so there are often duplicate records for each person. I spent over a year (a few hours a week) combining duplicate records and adding/correcting information between this program and my database. It was time consuming but worth it. For those who think there is no genealogical work for them to do, combing duplicate records would be a worthwhile project to take on. You just might find distant relatives and an ancestor or two as well.