When I was a child we moved around a lot. We immigrated to Trois-Rivieres, Quebec from England when I was a toddler and my brother was a baby. Later we moved to other cities in Quebec where my younger brother and my sister were born. We then moved to Ohio for a few years and then back to Canada to live on the West Island of Montreal. There we adopted another sister. From there I moved south and the rest of my family moved west to Alberta and then Saskatchewan before landing in B.C.. There were still more local moves after that and I ended up here too.
I knew that when I had my daughters that I would want them to be able to stay in one place, if possible. They have both lived within several miles of the hospital that they were born in, their entire lives. We have attended the same church for most of their lives. They only have a second family doctor because the doctor that delivered them retired. They have only known one pharmacist and photos of their little faces are still taped up on the pharmacy fridge door, vestiges of past Christmas card photos. They've had the same wonderful dentist all their lives. They attended one elementary school and one high school. And to top it all off, they have more than a dozen aunts and uncles and several dozen cousins living in the Lower Mainland. It's amazing!
The value of this security and familiarity is immense to me having never grown up with the constant presence of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We were it. Friends were made, lasting friendships endured but family was across an ocean regardless of where in North America we were. I missed those connections. I finally have an amazing cousin and his Canadian wife close by with whom I can share family history. I feel blessed that my daughters have the opportunity that many take for granted. They can say: This is where I am from. This has always been my home. And whether they choose to remain here or not, that will always be true. Here they are home again.
