Memories and days gone by ... creating soft shadows in our minds which comfort in times of stress or make one weep gentle tears of remembrance as we  think of those we have loved and the happy times we shared. So many things change in our lives as time passes and we often forget the happy times and instead dwell on those times which brought brief periods of unhappiness, but in reality  we have been  a very fortunate people and those times were brief in the over all scheme of things in our lifetimes. 

 Life is never  really easy for anyone.  We tend to forget  at times that we are not alone in facing adversity and turmoil. Each of us in varying degrees has faced crises, dealt with grief and loss, faced illness, or  a multitude of other problems as we travelled along this journey through life which has brought us to today.

 The problems we face today  are of an entirely new and totally different dimension. The soft shadows are now being replaced by ones which are much more ominous. How we deal with those harsher shadows is going to have a very significant  effect on the generations which will follow us.

So much has changed in our lifetime as the world has become smaller with each passing year. What we have so long taken for granted has now become an anachronism in this modern world. We are no longer isolated by oceans and continents in our protected environments in North America  for as the world has changed and has seemed to grow smaller, we have by necessity grown closer to understanding first hand the  problems so much of the rest of the world has faced for centuries. Many see this only as a threat to our security and well being. Would it not be better to  forego isolating ourselves and join with those other nations in  correcting the inequities and cruelties of man so all of us  around this globe can hopefully finally live in peace?

 Does that sound like an impossible dream ? Perhaps. But we will never know if we don't make that effort. Certainly it has been  more comfortable to  sit back and observe, commiserate with, and aid financially where possible, those nations who were enduring what we are only now beginning to truly understand, but was it realistic? I think not, and recent events would seem to bear that out. It was only a matter of time until  we were forced to face our own vulnerability and how we deal with that knowledge  is going to dictate the course our futures will take.

 No more soft shadows. The stark light of day has finally arrived on our shores. What was a heartrending tale of hardship in some country far away may well soon be our daily news right here at home.  Do we have the stamina and fortitude to face that reality ? Time will tell. And even more importantly, do we have the courage to actually  live up to those values we have touted for so many years?  When we are the ones facing what others have faced before us will we persevere and pay the homage due to those before us who lived and died struggling and sacrificing to ensure our right to the freedom we enjoy ?

 It has always been so much easier to sympathize with those less fortunate than  we have been and so easy to mouth platitudes and level criticism as onlookers. It is going to be very telling to see how we will handle being the subject  of such hatred and vitriol from so many quarters around this globe as things are brought home to bear. No more hiding in shadows .. daylight is glaringly focused on us and we must call on the best in each one of us if our way of life is to survive.

God willing, we shall meet the challenge with honour and integrity intact.