The celebration of our great country of Canada is waiting in the wings just ready to spring into the limelight.
It is an exciting time and definitely worth celebrating.
And, rain or shine one can be sure that celebrations will be happening everywhere.
These celebrations often include generations of family members who all get together to eat some cake, fly their own little miniature flags and just be happy for no other reason than just because they are all together and it is good.
And then there are the fireworks that usually cap the celebrations off.
I am fortunate enough to be able to view the fireworks from my deck which gives me a great excuse to invite tons of family and friends and have a party.
Sometimes we even watch the fireworks.
Seriously! We always watch the fireworks. It’s like being a kid again and having front row seats without having to sneak in.
It is true that as Canadians we have much to be grateful for.
Of course, having been a Canadian my entire life, I am perhaps a little amiss at realizing to the full extent of how grateful I should be for the freedoms I often take for granted.
It is true it is so easy to find things to grumble about.
Potholes and rain. The high cost of living. The fact there is nothing on Netflix.
On a more serious note, getting from point A to point B via a wheelchair can prove to be difficult, even in the great country of Canada and I have complained about that.
In fact, it makes simple things like slipping out for a coffee in a nearby restaurant not so simple.
Often there is no automatic door opener and so the person in the wheelchair is stuck trying to open the door and wheel himself or herself through. And, usually that first door only leads to another door with barely enough space for a wheelchair in-between.
It’s about that time when the wheelchair user,who in my case happens to be my husband, decides it is so much easier to stay home.
I get it. It is easier except usually there is nothing on Netflix again!
Wheelchair accessibility is of little or no importance to a lot of Canadians.
But, to some of us it is hugely important.
And, that is where the importance of being aware, being watchful and, mostly, being kind comes in.
Mostly people are good, most people are kind and most people care.
But, sometimes people are oblivious and so caught up in their own worries, their own needs and their own lives, they don’t see the stranger who is struggling with something others take for granted everyday just because they can.
Canadians have a reputation for lots of good things. They are known as being really good hockey players. They are competent drivers in ice and snow. They are hardy souls who can sometimes be seen in pick up trucks wearing baseball caps backwards. They work long hours to look after their families.
They love backyard barbecues and hanging out with friends.
They eat pizza and drink beer and tell each other to ‘have a good day, eh’
They are also known as being friendly and walking the extra mile for their neighbour.
These are all admirable traits and, for the most part, are definitely characteristics that can be attributed to lots of the good people who live in this bountiful country of ours.
But, it is so easy to forget that even for us who live in this land of plenty, there are those of us who are less fortunate in ways we don’t really think about.
And, those people just like the rest of us, will get by for sure.
But they would get by even better with just a little help from a friend, or at least a stranger, who could become a friend.