History remembers who refused to forget our shared humanity.

In light of the historic events now unfolding in the Middle East, I’ve been thinking about this day again.

November 19, 2023 — Nathan Phillips Square.

World Children’s Day.

Rory and I stood among families, healthcare workers, and children holding the names of children who had died. It was quiet. Prayerful. Human.

That week my own life was coming apart — relationships ending, work collapsing, uncertainty everywhere. I remember crying not because of politics, but because grief clarifies what matters.

Conflicts we watch from a distance are lived every day by ordinary people trying to raise children and live in peace.

What I learned that day remains true: children are never abstractions, and suffering never stays contained.

Choose humanity before certainty. Choose mercy before victory.

History remembers who refused to forget our shared humanity.