As we head into summer, I wanted to wish everyone happy summer holidays.
This Friday is Canada Day and I realized that to me, Canada Day is about togetherness and belonging as a nation. For everyone who wants to belong. By nation I don’t mean the country, the politics or the foreign policy. I mean the nation as the people. All the people. All the different people.
It's my neighbour who helped me find my wayward cat yesterday, it's the man who owns the local Halal butcher shop near me, it's the furnace repair guy who the whole neighbourhood shoveled his truck out, twice, on his way back to the main road in a blizzard, it's my daughters’ friend who wonders if she's a lesbian, it's the people 4 streets over who maintain the community skating rink. It's the people. It's all of us. It's the newest Canadian from India I met last week, while playing basketball, who is concerned about keeping warm this winter. It's the homeless people sleeping in the woods near my house.
All of us who are all different from each other. And yet we all have similar hopes and dreams. We all want to feel love. We all want to be warm and safe.
The nation is the people. As we evolve, we grow and learn. We make mistakes. We create community. We love our individuality.
I love my neighbours. I love all of our differences.
We are all Canadians. We are all human.
Happy Summertime!
With Love,
Dr. Sara
Happy Summer Holidays!