Canada

Recently, l headed to the mall to meet a friend and her delightful, always adorably pigtailed 3-year-old.  The mall is enormous—the largest in Canada—so for ease of finding each other, we met at the full-sized pirate ship in the middle. 

As my friend and I greeted each other, her toddler clutched her favourite stuffed bunny and played on the ship’s bridge. Beneath the bridge was a rocky cliff alongside a large indoor lagoon. Carefully, the little girl lifted Bunny to the bridge’s rail…and Bunny flew out of her hands and crashed to the rocks below!

“With that we face the shocking reality. Jesus stands at the door and knocks. He asks for help in the form of a beggar, a down-and-out, a man in ragged clothes, someone who is sick, even a criminal in need of our love. He meets you in every person you encounter in need. So long as there are people around, Christ walks the earth as your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls to you, demands of you, makes claims upon you. That is the great seriousness of the Advent message and its great blessing. Christ stands at the door. He lives in the form of people around us.

“Someone is a Canadian if a slap on the back of the head causes them to turn around and apologize”—so goes the saying about Canadians and their polite and apologetic character.

I tend to like this characterization and feel pride in this portrayal. Now I find myself grieving its demise—especially in the increasingly polarized climate of public discourse ahead of Canada’s next federal election, which will take place next year. 

The words of the wise prod us to live well. They're like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd.  - Ecclesiastes 12:11 MSG

Recently, I shared about my experience of lack and abundance in two countries. This week, let’s look at a tale of two cities.

At a recent screening of Johnny Lee’s documentary, “Canadiation: Impacts of the Doctrine of Discovery,” a good Christian man came to Johnny and myself before the documentary was over to share his views.

Immigration has, once again (and as it often does), become an inescapable topic of public discussion across North America.    

I’m going to turn forty in early September, just after Labour Day. Because I’m a person with multiple disabilities, getting to forty is important for me! I sometimes find that people with temporarily able bodies, even some that I love, make a big deal out of aging. I’m told, “You’re going to find that things slow down. You’ll be less able to do things for yourself.” This might come as a surprise, but I’ve always had to navigate doing things for myself in ways different from most folks, and most of the time I don’t feel like I’m slowing down!