In 2017, I wrote this: May 5, 1945. I was 10 years old.  Liberation day!  Finally it had come and not a day too soon.  We really could not believe it finally happened.  But then our Canadian liberators drove through our streets.  Tank after tank after tank.  Everybody was outside, celebrating with empty stomachs and empty hands, but with our happiness bursting out all over. The Hague had organized for the public schoolchildren to sing our victory songs on the numerous bridges, all on the same Saturday morning.  It was a sight and sound to behold.  Wilt heden nu treden voor God den Heere en bovenal loven zijn’s herten zeer . (old Dutch, I believe).  Loosely interpreted it means: “Come before the Lord and praise His name.  Make the name large of Him who defeated our enemies.” There are about six stanza’s. As always, my love and a big ‘thank you’ to Canada and the Canadians who fought to give us our freedom.

In 2015, I wrote:
Today it is 57 years ago that the Canadian armed forces liberated that part of the Netherlands in which I lived.  Not a day too soon.  Many had already starved to death.  The North Western part of the Netherlands was not of strategic importance and so was left behind.  The truth of this did not make it any easier on those of us who lived there.  It was a joy to see the Canadian tanks rumble through the streets of the Hague.  Our joy and jubilation was expressed by the schoolchildren of our city, me among them, who assembled on the bridges over the canals to sing God’s praise for our liberation.

Again, I remember. Today is May 5th, 2020. 
75 years since the end of WorldWar II. But not the end of wars and strife.
I can still hear my mother sigh: “When will there be peace”. She had lived through 2 world wars. “The war to end all wars”, one of them was called. So far there is no end to any or all the wars and peace is just a word we use a lot around Christmas time. Instead of saying the word, how about trying the real thing?
We have a Dutch saying: “Verbeter de wereld, begin met jezelf”, meaning: Make the world a better place, start with yourself. 
Come on people, we can do it.