I AM CANADIAN

Last week when I stayed late at the school Chimmi, the teacher brought extra snacks and shared them with me. All of the children were staring in hopes of having a taste. How could I refuse although I did not want to appear rude and unappreciative to Chimmi. Since then I started bringing cookies and snacks with me to share with the children for their afternoon snack. When we were in the rural community brought home pineapple as a treat for the family to show my appreciation that they were sharing their home with us. Today I brought a new block set for the kids to play with. They had a great time with it. I now have toys, crayons, paper and stickers so they will have something new each day that I have left.

Things I am grateful for:

I am grateful that I do not have to travel far to get food or water and I have never gone to bed hungry.

I am grateful that I have fresh clean hot and cold running water in my house that I do not have to worry will run out before the end of the day or will make me sick if I drink it.

I appreciate that our province and country, my neighbors and friends are all concerned about the amount of garbage that we generate and we don’t pollute.

I am thankful that our air is reasonably fresh and I do not have to wear a mask to feel safe walking down the street. It is unlikely that if I stay in Canada I will suffer from respiratory problems thanks to our governments monitoring of emissions and our public smoking policies.

I am grateful that our government has ensured that I can live in a house with an identifiable address so that I may receive correspondence from anywhere in the world.

I am grateful that we have maximum capacity laws for public transportation.

I am grateful that we have traffic laws in place so that I can safely cross the street.

I am grateful that I can go to the hospital and/or a doctor when I am sick even if I have no money.

I am grateful that we have power and rarely have to go without.

I am amazed at the incredible selection of mattresses we have in Canada. From size, shape, density, number of springs, box spring, type of foam or cushioning used…it goes on and on and even our cheapest and most uncomfortable mattress is more comfortable than any I have slept on this month!

I promise:

To be more mindful of the amount of waste I create in the way of food, garbage, water consumption, electricity, and exhaust fumes. I appreciate the Country I was fortunate enough to be born in and will stop taking it for granted.