There is something in the air this year that makes me a little uncertain about wishing others a Happy Canada Day. Maybe it is the amount of political turmoil around the globe, or the protests of various sorts, or the realization that Canada in all its amazingness is a bit broken. Other years I have been excited to celebrate Canada Day, attending the town pancake breakfast and the parade. I have written about becoming a Canadian at eighteen, loving the scenery of this grand country, and enjoying the welcome of its citizens.
All week I have been wondering, is it okay to love where we live and be proud of it even if it isn't perfect? Does our celebration of #Canada150 takeaway from some of the ugly realities of our history that have not been addressed justly? My landing place has been firmly on the side of celebrating, not as a mechanism to excuse or whitewash the brokenness, but as a reminder of what is good.
So much around us is not good. Murder, mayhem, and terror seem to be the news menu day after day. We need to celebrate with one another, all of us together, for just one day. It shouldn't be a celebration of ourselves, but a celebration of thankfulness for the shards of good that make Canada what it is. After the moments of thankfulness, we need to face our brokenness and continue to work together to weave a society that is just and welcoming for all.
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| Happy Canada Day - with hope for the future 2017 |
So much around us is not good. Murder, mayhem, and terror seem to be the news menu day after day. We need to celebrate with one another, all of us together, for just one day. It shouldn't be a celebration of ourselves, but a celebration of thankfulness for the shards of good that make Canada what it is. After the moments of thankfulness, we need to face our brokenness and continue to work together to weave a society that is just and welcoming for all.
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