Lost and Found...
A few weeks ago I attended a conference with 500 other people who all work in the area of community development. It was a ballroom filled with people who want to make things better-- for children, for the poor, for the disenfranchised, for chronically ill, basically for anyone who had needs that were not being met. They were good people with good intentions.
Much of the time, there was discussion about the barriers people were facing as they attempted to change the world one piece at a time. The desire to make a difference is not always met with the passion we hope for and conversations often turned to negative as we discussed the state of health, children and families in Canada, and more specifically in Manitoba.
The night after the conference I dreamed a dream about things that have never happened to me. It was like a stobe light of images flashing through my mind while my emotions remained steady in a haze of peaceful calm. It was like a slideshow of photographs of myself and my daughters with powerful images that could haunt a person but it wasn't frightening.
The dream changed and the this surreal dreamy powerpoint played again in my mind but this time, there was a voice accompanying each photograph. The voice said things like:
It wasn't joy.
As I began to understand where I had been ungrateful that there are others in the world who are not as fortunate as I am, this brought with it its own sadness.
It was more like an intense sense of gratitude that felt almost like intimate favor with someone you love.
I woke up with this strange feeling and began to think over the conversations at the conference again with an entirely new perspective. I remembered all the complaints and frustrations that were expressed, and I thought they are right. Canada is not perfect. Manitoba is not perfect.
But what an incredible place to live! The social programs we do have were assumed to be basic, but compared to what was (not that long ago) and what is...we are not so bad off.
Canada offers so much freedom, protection, wealth and assurance of life that we take for granted everyday. We tend to forget that as we forge ahead into the steps of building community and making things even better, that we are sooooo blessed to live in Canada.
One of the most beautiful things about Canada is her obsession with justice. She always strives to right injustices and meet the needs of the poor, and needy. Part of that passion requires looking at injustice because how can you deal with issues unless you look at them?
But it is not healthy to focus always on what needs to be done, and how far we have to go. There is something to be said for looking at how far we come and celebrating the good that has been established in Canada. If you blessed to be born in this nation, you have cause to celebrate.
So the next time the news tells me the country has gone to dogs, I won't believe them. I know what freedoms I enjoy, and the blessing that I live under because I am Canadian.
What is Lost and Found?
Lost- a sense of despair over the state of Canada's health, education and justice system
Found - a sense of gratitude for a nation that has enough integrity look at the injustices that exist in "the system" and desires to do something about it.
A few weeks ago I attended a conference with 500 other people who all work in the area of community development. It was a ballroom filled with people who want to make things better-- for children, for the poor, for the disenfranchised, for chronically ill, basically for anyone who had needs that were not being met. They were good people with good intentions.
Much of the time, there was discussion about the barriers people were facing as they attempted to change the world one piece at a time. The desire to make a difference is not always met with the passion we hope for and conversations often turned to negative as we discussed the state of health, children and families in Canada, and more specifically in Manitoba.
The night after the conference I dreamed a dream about things that have never happened to me. It was like a stobe light of images flashing through my mind while my emotions remained steady in a haze of peaceful calm. It was like a slideshow of photographs of myself and my daughters with powerful images that could haunt a person but it wasn't frightening.
The dream changed and the this surreal dreamy powerpoint played again in my mind but this time, there was a voice accompanying each photograph. The voice said things like:
- You have never had to sell your children because you could not afford to feed them
- You have never lived in fear that your neighbors would turn you into the police
- You have never watched your child die because there was not enough food
- Your circumstances have never made you powerless to protect your children from abuse
- Your daughters are receiving the same education as all the boys in their school
- Your daughters are loved and valued regardless of their gender
- You have never known the pain of war
- You've never had to physically struggle just to survive from day to day
- You've never known the terror of a bombing, or of soldier's with guns in the street
- You've never had to bribe the police so you could keep your car, your house or your child
- You've never watched your child die from an infection
- You've never questioned if your children would return home from school day to day
It wasn't joy.
As I began to understand where I had been ungrateful that there are others in the world who are not as fortunate as I am, this brought with it its own sadness.
It was more like an intense sense of gratitude that felt almost like intimate favor with someone you love.
I woke up with this strange feeling and began to think over the conversations at the conference again with an entirely new perspective. I remembered all the complaints and frustrations that were expressed, and I thought they are right. Canada is not perfect. Manitoba is not perfect.
But what an incredible place to live! The social programs we do have were assumed to be basic, but compared to what was (not that long ago) and what is...we are not so bad off.
Canada offers so much freedom, protection, wealth and assurance of life that we take for granted everyday. We tend to forget that as we forge ahead into the steps of building community and making things even better, that we are sooooo blessed to live in Canada.
One of the most beautiful things about Canada is her obsession with justice. She always strives to right injustices and meet the needs of the poor, and needy. Part of that passion requires looking at injustice because how can you deal with issues unless you look at them?
But it is not healthy to focus always on what needs to be done, and how far we have to go. There is something to be said for looking at how far we come and celebrating the good that has been established in Canada. If you blessed to be born in this nation, you have cause to celebrate.
So the next time the news tells me the country has gone to dogs, I won't believe them. I know what freedoms I enjoy, and the blessing that I live under because I am Canadian.
What is Lost and Found?
Lost- a sense of despair over the state of Canada's health, education and justice system
Found - a sense of gratitude for a nation that has enough integrity look at the injustices that exist in "the system" and desires to do something about it.
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