Canada/U.S.

As I sit at my computer I can see over to the clubhouse where two flags wave in the breeze...the U.S. flag on the left and he Canadian flag on the right.  The two countries have had a long standing friendship and it's mainly because the citizens of these countries have the same roots.  Our ancestors immigrated from Europe, Asia, South America to become citizens of a larger, freer, better potential country.  We've been called a melting pot but that's only partly true.  Heritage cultures have been preserved and respected but intermarrying occurs and differing cultures merge to sometimes be even better than the single culture.  

I love it when a group of us are sitting together and discovering the slight differences between us.  Sometimes it's an expression or way of cooking.  We learn about and appreciate the differences.  The key to living in harmony with a neighbor whose background might be different from your own is to learn from each other and broaden your knowledge of the world.  The more you learn, the less fearful you'll be of the unknown.

We like to joke with Joann (from Pennsylvania) when she refers to us as "you'ns" and we Canadians are always teased about our propensity to say, "eh".  Sylvia (from Nova Scotia) says that isn't a common expression in the maritimes but they have their own little sayings that distinguish them from us Ontarians, too.  What's important is that we might have a few differences but that's what makes us interesting and human.

Good people are good people no matter where they originate from and that's all that really matters.