One of the great mysteries of life is what country we are born in. I am Canadian by birth and I have had the security of a family, food and shelter all my life. Extensive travels have shown me that this is not everyone's privilege. My mother, born in Canada into a family of Irish Catholic descent, passed on to me the Roman Catholic traditions and practices of Mass, the rosary, the Christmas manager set. patron saints, guardian angels, grace before meals,and prayers for every occasion. My first years away from home I lived in Europe, the Middle East, India, and then the American Southwest of Arizona. This experience exposed me to the image of the Madonna in many forms-fresco,icons and the familiar plaster statues from my youth, but in a new setting I had never seen: the outdoor shrines, and the prayer corner or altar areas in the homes of my Hispanic neighbors. Although the settings for sacred art changed in each country I passed through, the practice of a daily ritual, the gesture of lighting a candle in gratitude and petition, was a repeated theme.
Today, on this anniversary of Canada's birth, I'd like to pause and say "Thank You".
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| one of my Photo cards framed where I have wired and strung a Thank You 4 x 6 |
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