in recent years Canada day has been a much quieter event for me…

for many years my beloved and I would have a gathering with family, friends and neighbours, and end the day with huge bowls of popcorn which we would consume as the fireworks went off at the Park…

chairs for everyone would be placed out on the street and there was lots of oohing and aahing at the fireworks as we munched on the popcorn…

this afternoon, I made a bowl of popcorn and munched on it thinking of the past and dreaming of a more inclusive future…

after forty plus years, the trees have grown so much that we could no longer see most of the display and over the last few years the Park hasn’t set off fireworks due to construction happening where the staging area used to be…

last year it felt like celebrating would be an insult to our First Nations peoples and so I spent time learning more of our sad history…

today I hung an orange heart on the front door and wore an orange shirt with red leggings… I continue to learn and support in ways that I am able…

I love this country and hope that we can do better… I am finding these to be very complicated feelings and continue to struggle with them…