Yesterday my daughters and I headed off for a spontaneous visit to our relative's RV resort in Harrison Hot Springs. We had an opportunity to take part in the parade by riding in their older brother's orange 1947 Chevy pickup truck along with the other kids from the RV resort. The other vehicles in the parade consisted of community groups, Scottish pipers, boat sales, fire trucks, ambulances and more than one candy-bearing Sasquatch. One daughter sat in the back on the hay bales, one in the cab and I walked beside the truck waving a small Canadian flag, while the other kids in the truck sang "Happy Birthday" and waved flags, blew bubbles and waved to the parade crowd. The crowd by normal parade standards was tiny I'm sure, but for the little community we were in it seemed substantial. There were folks from the area waving from their homes but many visitors there as well; tourists from near and far, bundled up against the less than warm July weather smiling, waving and calling out "Happy Canada Day!" What struck me was that no one seemed immune to the pride and excitement of the occasion: a large Muslim family dressed in traditional garb, many families of South Asian descent dressed in colourful kurtas and saris; families of many diverse cultures waving and singing and smiling and calling and loving the day. Loving Canada Day. Loving Canada.
I was very moved by the whole experience. I am the type of person who gets goosebumps every time I sing O' Canada so I am a sucker for a day like Canada Day. I am not sure if it is because my family immigrated to this country or if it is just wired into my DNA, but I loved this experience. The urge to tear up and cry was so great that I had to smile my biggest smiles, just to keep it in check. The smiles that I received in return were unbelievably beautiful, and different from each other in so many ways. Thank you to everyone who made this experience possible for my family. It was another reason why I am so proud of "our home and native land."
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