If You Hear the Song I Sing

we have returned safely from a wonderful trip to canada.  the scenery in the canadian rockies was breath-taking, despite the haze of smoke from the forest fires in northern canada that obscured the views during much of our trip.  during our stay, we went to butchart gardens on vancouver island, and that was the highlight of the trip for me.  the beauty of the flowers there was overwhelming.  i could have spent several days wandering along the paths and marveling at the wonders of the plants and blooms of every hue.

the remarkable kindness of the canadian people touched me even more than the wonderful sights we saw.  on every trip we take, i come home with a heart filled with gratitude to the strangers who showed us kindness on our travels.  the graciousness of those we encountered in canada surpassed any we have experienced elsewhere in the world.  that every person we met was considerate and helpful was beyond anything i can express in words.  we'd always heard that the word "nice" is the best descriptor of canadians, and i can concur with that assessment.  

now that i'm home, i wonder why this is.  the aggressive behavior of americans contrasts with the patience of those who live north of our borders.   even on the highways when traffic was at its busiest, drivers never attempted to cut each other off or refused to let another car change lanes as is often the case here.  during the entire trip, we didn't see one traffic accident.  on the whole, canada appears to be a prosperous country.  we saw no homeless people on the streets of vancouver, the largest city we visited, or anywhere else in canada.  those with whom we spoke never expressed complaints about anything in their society.  their positivity was consistent and refreshing.

perhaps it is the origins of our country that has made us as we are.  the usa was borne from a violent conflict with our british rulers.  our economy was based on the enslavement of africans who were forced to labor in order to enrich their owners in the south and provide the raw material for factories in the north.  a terrible civil war was necessary to bring an end to this vile system.  our canadian friends never experienced any of these things.  maybe that is why the national psyche of our two countries are so different, despite our many commonalities.

may we learn from our "nice" friends to the north.  may we americans see that kindness to others is the best way to live.  may we learn to be more patient.  may we bless rather than curse.  may we learn to seek good for each other rather than seeing life as a struggle to get the best of another.  may we let go of our violent past and learn from it.  shalom.