Proud to be a Canadian

I am proud to be a Canadian, having immigrated 51 years ago. My sweetie says that I just got off the boat yesterday. It was September 8, 1968 we landed in Vancouver took the train to Winnipeg. I was 4 and a half. Have little memory other than what I was told.

In the 51 years I have come to appreciate what Canada has to offer. I met my soulmate, I have two great stepchildren and one amazing grandson. The opportunities afforded me through career, education, sports, volunteering, friendships and personal growth are unlimited.

It has been a good week for Canada. St Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup with a roster 3/4 Canadian born. The Toronto Raptors won their first NBA championship with the whole country celebrating alongside. Brooke Henderson won her 9th golf title the most ever by a Canadian. Canada’s national soccer teams won their games on the weekend.

The Raptors winning was not the most significant event in Toronto this past weekend. There was a gathering of fans, actors from the iconic hit TV show Degrassi Junior High called Degrassi fanapalooza. Celebrating the success and continued fascination with the show. The show ran for 4 years on national TV and seen by millions around the world.

The show made stars out of regular kids. Teenage girls had crushes for Joey Jaramuzzi and the boys crushed over Caitlyn Shaw including myself. The show was groundbreaking as it dealt with issues kids were dealing with at the time and are still. Drugs, alcohol, sex, pregnancy, body shaming, bullying, depression, single parenthood, suicide. It was not sensationalized. It was real. There will never be another show like it again.

The shows legacy is that it made it easier for kids to deal with real situations and it endeared itself around the world. None of the actors became famous, most of them went back to their regular lives raising families and regular careers. Unfortunately one of the actors has passed his real life mirrored his on screen life.

It was a great show and spawned some spin offs. The legacy will live on and I hope everyone loved their reunion in Toronto this past weekend. Life lessons were learnt and experienced and the world and Canada is better for it.