Posted By THOMAS CZECH
This
summer we took five weeks and drove west to visit my wife's parents and
other relatives in Manitoba and my parents in Saskatchewan.
We saw some very interesting things, met some awesome people and learned to love this country even more.
I
have travelled the world in my 42 years on this planet and I can say
with all honesty this country is the best. I think that sometimes we
forget how good we have it ; it is not until guests from other
countries tell us of the freedom they feel and the beauty they see as
they travel through our provinces and territories that our eyes are
opened to the greatness of our nation.
We have the greatest
democracy in the world, we fought for it with every ounce of courage
and love for this country to get the freedoms that our ancestors longed
for and believed in.
We mustn't forget that Canada has become
the world's model for democracy that other countries are looking at so
that they can shape their country into a truly democratically free
nation as we have here.
We also have the best countryside,
everything from mountains to prairies; oceans to forests; deserts to
the Arctic tundra to name only a fraction of the greatness of this
land. The best way to learn and appreciate all that we have is to
travel it by car with a receptive heart and an open mind.
Our
first stop was at a campground in New Liskeard called Edgewater which
is on beautiful Lake Temiskaming. From there we went to Twin Lakes Camp
in a small but interesting town called Moonbeam, which got its name
from the early settlers who used to see flashing lights falling from
the night sky. You will see a flying saucer which is near its entrance,
a truly interesting tourist attraction. We spent a few hours hiking
along its 32 kmof trails and around its two man-made lakes.
When
we left Moonbeam we made our way to Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. It
was evening so instead of going to Rhonda's relatives we spent a night
in a motel in town.
The next morning we drove to their house; we
were greeted by her parents and by relatives we never met before.
During our time there, we learned a lot about Rhonda's Métis ancestry.
The Métis are a true symbol of unity; European and Aboriginal coming
together; a proud people with an extensive and strong history in
building this country.
We spent a week with them laughing and
learning, we were welcomed in by her family and felt as if we have
known them an eternity. Isn't that what non-judgmental true acceptance
is all about?
From Portage we drove to see my parents in
Melville, Saskatchewan. This is a small town which once was a busy
place as the Grand Trunk Railway went through it. The town was named
after Charles Melville Hayes who was the president of the Grand Trunk;
he was also a passenger on the Titanic and drowned when it sank around
2:20 a. m. on April 15, 1912.
While in Saskatchewan we saw
oceans of Blue Alfalfa in full bloom and golden fields of Canola. My
parent took us to the railway museum and the heritage museum in
Melville, then to the RCMP Heritage Centre and the Science Centre in
Regina. We learned of the proud history of the world's finest police
force from its early beginnings when they fought off and beat the
American whisky smugglers to the way they lead the world in the field
of forensic science today.
I can't write everything about our
five-week journey through parts of this great nation, but the one thing
I want readers to remember is how fortunate we all are to live in the
greatest country in the world. I also want to encourage them to take
the initiative to learn about its history from the early beginnings to
the present, of how we have become a mosaic of different races,
religions and beliefs.
We are not a melting pot that places all
people into the same mould, but a mosaic of differences which make up
one large and beautiful montage called Canada.
