Every great story has behind it a great landscape. The Midsomer Murders television series features, almost as a character in its own right, the bucolic villages and idyllic countryside of the South of England. Game of Thrones imprinted itself in our imaginations with stunning locations shot in Iceland, Croatia, Spain, and ... Canada.
My own rather small tale, of my life in the church, is set against the magnificent natural beauty of our country, from the Canadian Shield to the rugged West Coast to the foothills of the majestic Rockies. It takes for granted our ability to live and work wherever we choose, unmolested by the arbitrary interventions of a malevolent government. We are a free people, living in a vast land, where our stories can unfold without restraint.
We are also a fallible people trying, unsuccessfully, to fulfill the aspirations of all our citizens. But what would success look like among so many competing interests and visions? We want to protect the environment; but we want our oil to get to market. We want to atone for our murderous crimes against the First Nations; but we want them at the table as participants, not as supplicants.
We will never get it right. But we will always try. Our humility is our strength, as is our tenacity in this wild formidable landscape. I love this country, its natural beauty, its diverse people, and yes, even the stumbling efforts of its governments. It's a land worth guarding.
Happy Canada Day!