Je suis Canadian

I love my country - I mean I really am proud to be Canadian. Not just because we just hosted the Olympics or because we won a boatload of medals but because of who and what Canada is. It's more than just a body of land above the mighty USA. It's a feeling. It's a piece of a soul that whether you inherit it, or you're born to it or you marry it, it becomes you and defines that part of you that says, WORLD, we are a part of you and we are just different enough to be define uniqueness in our own ways.

My Canadian is generational. From a wanderlust great grandfather escaping the "landed gentry" of his England, his escape in his late teens which gave him an adventure worthy of a book and wow, is his song so apart of my soul. My great/grandparents; whose journey was from Scotland in all different forms coming to this great country through the "Homesteading Act" and claiming a piece of this beautiful land but keeping withthin them the Scottish Song that defined them as feisty and strong.

Every part of me sings "Oh Canada" From the bold and expansive prairies to the vast pacific ocean that my grandfathers tugged through and as much as my generations have trod this soil I still remain - Scottish/Canadian - Anglo/Canadian and for my children - even some Dutch/Canadian because here, we get to do that. We keep our songs; no melting pot here. We thrive on our diversity.

In school; early on, I learned about the whole world, not just the country where I lived. By sixth grade I was doing reports on Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and even the US. By Junior High, it wasn't just my countries history I studied but the world's history as well. In Senior High, the world was our text book and it wasn't just about understanding WW1 or WW2 but knowing what went wrong and what brought the world to crisis. Vimy Ridge wasn't just a battle but a place where grandfathers, uncles, cousins and friends were lost and if, by chance we had a relative die there, we talked about him or her and we shared and we cried at the audacity of war and it's cruel ramifications. Soldiers, Holocost Survivors, Killing FIeld Refugees visited our classroom and spoke to the horrors of War and moved us. It wasn't about details but consequences and a belief that we could make a difference if we wanted to. We were taught we could make a difference. We take our November 11 seriously - to this day. Losing people isn't just about freedom but about peace and caring. We don't conquer, we bring peace. That's our goal.

We find beauty everywhere and our unafraid of saying so. As much as we know that our mountains are majestic we love and seek the adventures of seeing the world's mountains. It is not uncommon for our people to "see" the world and as parents we encourage our children to experience it. Wearing a Maple Leaf on our backpacks means something. It means FRIEND. We want to see the world because seeing it makes us better world citizens and even better Canadians.

I have been blessed in so many ways to understand this great country I call home. My Father knows this world better than anyone and yet he comes home. He speaks, and always has, to just how grateful I should be for what this place has offered me. He has introduced me to royalty, to an understanding of the world's poverty, to its differences and all he asks is that I embrace culture for culture's worth. To vote, because there are some who can't. To work because I live where work is possible and to make a difference because I have been blessed to live in a country where making a difference won't cost me my life. He has helped me to truly understand and love other ways of life because this only enhances the love I have for my own life.

So...... Je suis Canadian! I am Canadian. Red and white through and through.

So to conclude; words being as important to me as they are to me, I give you the words of one of our new and upcoming Candian poets.

Shane Koyczan's

"We Are More,"

Define Canada
You might say the home of the Rocket
Or The Great One
Who inspired little No. 9s and little No. 99s
But we're more than just hockey and fishing lines
Off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes
And some say what defines us
Is something as simple as 'please' and 'thank you'
And as for 'you're welcome,' well, we say that, too
But we are more than genteel or civilized
We are an idea in the process of being realized
We are young, we are cultures strung together then woven into a tapestry
And the design is what makes us more than the sum totals of our history
We are an experiment going right for a change
With influences that range from A to Zed
And yes, we say 'Zed' instead of 'Zee'
We are the brightness of Chinatown and the laughter of Little Italy
We dream so big that there are those
Who would call our ambition an industry
Because we are vineyards of good year after good year
We reforest what we clear
Because we believe in generations beyond our own
Knowing now that so many of us
Have grown past what we used to be
We can stand here today
Filled with all the hope people have
When they say things like 'someday'
Because we are more
Than a laundry list of things to do and places to see
More than hills to ski
Or countryside ponds to skate
We are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can't wait
We are first-rate greasy spoon diners and healthy living cafes
A country that is all the ways you choose to live
A nation that can give you variety
Because we are choices
We are millions upon millions of voices
Shouting, keep exploring
We are more
We are the surprise the world has in store for you, it's true
Canada is the 'what' in 'what's new'
So don't let your luggage define your travels
Each life unravels differently
And experiences are what make up
The colours of our tapestry
We are the true North
Strong and free
And what's more
Is that we didn't just say it
We made it be"