...and freedom for all...

I wonder sometimes if my parents regret moving us to Canada. On paper, they shouldn't. Political freedom, opportunities for their children, a greater quality of life. When they left, they left overpowering pollution, oppression and a repressive way of life.

It was a hard adjustment, and not an easy transition. Sometimes, my parents are still transitioning it seems. My mother especially found it difficult. The pace was very fast for her, the culture was foreign and the weather was horrid. We moved in November, remember, in a particularly cold 1987.

Our first summer in Canada we took a trip to see the Niagara Falls. Everytime one of our relatives comes to Canada, we take them there. In the same way that Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are synonomous with the sights of freedom for those who went to the eastern US, in my family the falls have filled this capacity. Being able to go visit the falls was what told them "hey, we made it".

It will be 17 years this year. My mother can never believe it. Almost a quarter of a century in this country, and I hope that they are happy with the decision they made. I couldn't be happier. As the beer commercials say, I am "proud to be Canadian". Some rough stretches to be sure - but hey, we made it.