Standing In The Rain

My alarm beeped at 5am this morning... followed by a muffled "turn it ooooffffffff" from WonderMan beside me. 

But it wasn't long before he shuffled out of bed, turned on the heating, and boiled the kettle.

The children ate breakfast while it was still dark outside, dressed without fuss.

We tucked hair into beanies, checked everyone was rugged up tight.

Then stepped out to stand in the rain to watch the dawn.

My mother once asked me why I got the kids out of bed and made them go. Why I would stand in the rain, and the cold, before the sun had even risen.

My answer is simple.

Because we have that choice.

We choose to leave our warm beds for the rain soaked streets. We choose to watch the sunrise on that special morning.

We choose to stand in the rain and get wet. We are not wet because the roof of our house has been bombed.

We are cold because we choose to be, not because we have no clothes, no food, no shelter.


We are awake at 5am through choice, not fear.


We are free to choose to stay in bed if we want to.


And we have those choices because of the sacrifice of others.


So we choose to say "Thankyou" in this way, at this time, on this day.


I want my children to know why they have the freedom to choose.


Lest We Forget.