Last week, my son had the opportunity to vote in our Provincial election for the very first time. That evening, sitting around and catching up about our day, I asked him how he felt about voting and the experience in general.
He sat back in the chair and after a moment or two of contemplation…said one word.
Lucky.
For those of us who live in live in Canada, whether we were born here, moved here, immigrated here…I think we all feel the same. We truly appreciate how lucky we are to live in this wonderful country.
Recently, Tareq Hadhad and his family immigrated to Canada from Syria and they are embracing their new culture and home. With every new adventure that Tareq takes, as he tours across the country speaking about Education, Entrepreneurship, Immigration and Human Rights…seeing it all with eyes that are filled with gratitude…I can’t help but smile along with him then take a moment to remember how truly lucky I am.
The family chocolate company, Peace by Chocolcate, is a simple statement of exactly what they want for this world.
Peace.
A few months ago, I sat in Local Jo’s Cafe (where you can buy Peace by Chocolate) and chatted with Tareq about his family (while snacking on the chocolate treasures!) I was enthralled listening to him. Besides his charm and good looks…he has this way of telling a story that completely captivates you…giving you an idea of the ordeal his family has been through and how they’ve come to embrace their new country whole-heartedly…with dignity and grace.
They are celebrating every single day, how truly wonderful it is to be living in Canada. (Evident from their maple leaf shaped chocolates!)
Last week I heard a local news show discussing whether or not we were taking things too far with our Canada 150 celebrations. Wondering if it was overkill and if people were getting tired of the hype leading up to the big event. Was there too much marketing? Too many maple leafs? Too much red and white?
Ummmnmm. No!!!!
It’s time to throw humility to the wind and toss aside our apologies…and really and truly scream to the world HOW WONDERFUL CANADA IS. HOW LUCKY WE ARE to live here. HOW GRATEFUL we really and truly are. For me, it’s sheer luck that I was born here but for the Hadhad family, they fought to be part of this nation I rather take for granted at times.
With Canada’s birthday around the corner…I think we should all wear our red, white and maple leaf with pride!
This weekend, I spent a little time gussying up my front porch…decking it out in red and white flowers with a wonderful Canada Flag pillow and fabulous Maple Leaf PinWheels to catch the wind.
I’m showing my pride this Summer as Canada celebrates 150 years as a nation…and you should too.
To help celebrate everything Canadian, the ECM Media Bloggers have gotten together to write a number of posts about travel, fashion, food, fun, decor and more…
Click on the links below to visit each of the blog posts and learn a bit more about our fabulous home!
Oh…and if you’d like to learn a bit more about Tareq Hadhad and his family’s business, Peace by Chocolate, keep your eyes open on July 1st for a documentary as they tell their story from their little chocolate factory in Antigonish, Nova Scotia!
We are so lucky. Your porch is looking great! You’ve inspired me to pick up a bit more red and white on my flower hunt this week.
Isn’t the “Peace by Chocolate” story amazing? Their family is a wonderful addition to my hometown… and the chocolates are delicious too!
I love Tareq and his family — they’re wonderful examples of what it means to be proud new Nova Scotians!
You (and Tareq) are so right. We are incredibly lucky and should be grateful every day!
What a lovely post Colleen, we truly are so wodnerfully lucky to live in this country. I can’t believe anyone would suggest we were going overboard celebrating 150 years. That’s foolish! And your deck looks super fab, I love that Canada Day pillow and those pinwheels!!
We really and truly are!
Two Things:
1) I kind of want chocolate for supper now. I love the concept behind Peace by Chocolate so very much. Tareq’s photos are full of pure joy. Thank you for sharing them.
2) You have definitely inspired me to add more red and white and awesome all over Canadian inspiration to my patio. I am actually happy I didn’t plant my railing planters yet. I think I’ll go for red and white now.
Beautiful post.
The world need more Canada. That’s just science! 😉