Four Simple Ways to Mark Remembrance Day

Newsroom staff recently sat down with Elder M. Travis Wolsey and his wife, Sister Christine Wolsey. Elder Wolsey was named an Area Seventy and a member of the Eleventh Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 1, 2021. He is responsible for the Vancouver, British Columbia, and Everett, Washington, co-ordinating councils of the North America West Area. The Wolseys were invited to share their thoughts about Remembrance Day.

Can you tell us how your family marks Remembrance Day?

Elder Wolsey:

There are four simple ways our family remembers and honours the lives of those who have served in World War I and other military service. The first is to pause wherever we are on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month — we stop what we are doing. For two short minutes, we try to envision young men and women who gave their lives for the freedoms we have. We offer a grateful prayer in our hearts for them.

Sister Wolsey:

The second is to wear poppies. Poppies bloomed on the same fields marred by blood, war and shelling. To us, a poppy is a great symbol of hope and life.

Elder Wolsey:

Third, we do our best to attend or watch services at our local cenotaph.

Sister Wolsey:

Fourth, we like to serve and worship in the temple on Remembrance Day. Temples are considered houses of God, a place of holiness and peace separate from the preoccupations of the world. They provide a place where Church members make formal promises and remember their commitments to God. Temples are a place where the highest sacraments of the faith occur — the marriage of couples and the sealing of families for eternity. We can’t think of a better place to be on Remembrance Day than in a temple remembering our ancestors.

Can you tell us why remembering matters?

Elder Wolsey:

Forgetting is a common human experience. Not just forgetting names, dates and the location of car keys, but also forgetting feelings, experiences, stories and even people. Setting aside a day to remember helps us put in perspective the things and people most important to us. It helps us to do as President Russell M. Nelson encourages us — to “think celestial” (see “Think Celestial!” October 2023 general conference). It helps us to feel we are part of something bigger and that our lives are built upon those who have gone before.

In what ways can we show greater thanks in our homes, neighbourhoods, cities and country for Remembrance Day?

Sister Wolsey:

One of the best ways we can honour those who sacrificed their lives in war is to do our best to remove contention from our lives, homes, neighbourhoods, cities and country and become peacemakers.

Elder Wolsey:

Our Prophet, President Nelson, said it beautifully when he stated, “As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be examples of how to interact with others. … One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people. … True disciples [of Jesus Christ] build, lift, encourage, persuade and inspire — no matter how difficult the situation. True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers” (“Peacemakers Needed,” April 2023 general conference).

Sister Wolsey:

I love what President Nelson said about charity: “Charity is the antidote to contention. … Charity defines a peacemaker. When we humble ourselves before God and pray with all the energy of our hearts, God will grant us charity” (“Peacemakers Needed,” April 2023 general conference).

Do you have any other thoughts you’d like to share about Remembrance Day?

Elder and Sister Wolsey:

We are grateful for those who have sacrificed for our freedoms, privileges and safety. Remembrance Day inspires us to remember and never forget those people upon whom our country is built.