Happy birthday Canada. Sags, wrinkles, warts, imperfections and all... as a nation you stand up pretty well when you look around the globe.
On Sunday folks across the country will gather to celebrate 145 years of our great nation. There will be parades, special guests, music, sandcastles and fireworks. School children will sing O Canada and community leaders will give speeches. If the weather cooperates, the Nelson area will again gather at Lakeside Rotary Park in concert with the rest of the nation.
Like all birthdays, Canada Day is also a time to reflect and look forward. It’s fine to do that with a critical eye, but a quick peek at the evening newscast’s world headlines should make it clear we are extremely fortunate to be citizens of such a great country. That said, moving forward it’s up to all 34,841,000 of us to make sure we continue to uphold all the good Canada stands for.
If you are looking for what helps define Canada’s spirit, you can find it on the front page of today’s paper.
For our Canada Day feature we chose the simple act of flipping pancakes. But for 92-year-old Earle Cutler that simple act is so much more. A veteran of the military and Lions Club member for 67 years, Cutler told reporter Megan Cole that: “Serving my community is important.” He has a lifetime of proof and will be doing exactly that on Sunday morning at the Lions Club breakfast on Baker Street.
And that is what makes Canada great. Simple acts done in a humble way that make all of our lives richer. As long as we all make that pledge, the next 145 years will be even better than the first.