Anzac Day and how to celebrate it

I decided a little while ago that I was going to the dawn service on Anzac Day this year. Part of this was certainly due to both my brothers now being in army and me trying to earn some positive fate points before they go off to possible hostilities (or nearer to friendly fire).
But I also went because I've always should have went. And I wasn't going to use that excuse this time. Sure, sunlight at six in the morning isn't something I've seen much of bar the occasional stretched out evening in town. But what was one sacrifice for me compared to thousands of sacrifices before that? I've always known this.

At 0540 my alarm woke me up and I couldn't shred curtains to let sunlight in to wake me up. But I didn't dawdle in the darkness, just ran a shower had a quick breakfast and left to walk the few kilometres between my house and Blackwood Soldier Memorial where a Dawn Service was being held. My intention was to walk as a tribute to those who surely had walked through the darkness to face challenges before. My walk was obviously much less monumental but it gave me time to think and reflect.

The one point the struck me on this walk was how distracted I could be by other things that weren't Anzac related. At first I was disturbed by my relatively trivial thoughts on a day for fallen soldiers. But in the end I deduced that their efforts went towards the freedom I enjoy to be concerned by trivial things. At the service words were spoke and wreaths were laid - it wasn't all that personal. But for the first time I saw a sunrise occurring that didn't immediately make me feel like I should be in bed. I felt moved as the streets of Blackwood slowly flooded with channels of golden light. When I looked into the sky between the flaky clouds to see darkness disappearing I felt maybe a connection to others who had seen similar over the years and felt optimistic and alive. So thanks, Anzacs.