O Canada...I'm Sorry

Dear Canada,

I want to take this opportunity to apologize for the USA’s behavior.  We are treating you horribly right now and I’m sorry we are doing that.  We don’t always agree with what our government does and this is one of those times.  I represent no formal group but realize there are many of us who are shocked how our neighbors in the north are being treated.

Make no mistake.  We love Canada.  You are a strong, gentle people who have always been kind to us.  You took in people who didn’t want to fight in wars.  You are a peaceful people who do not engage in wars yourself.  Even in movies, United States’ people flee to you for safety (i.e. Handmaid's Tale).

You have many wonderful qualities.  Even A.I. says you are known for your high quality of life.  You have low crime rates, a commitment to equality and diversity, and a universal health care system.  Your people value politeness and a respect for nature.  You have given much to us, including some awesome actors like Ryan Reynolds, Rachel McAdams, Jim Carrey, Justin Bieber, John Candy, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Gosling, and Seth Rogan to name a few.  

Personally, one of the best things that came from Canada was my best friend.  We were friends for several decades until her death.  She lived in the United States for many years and she raised her two children here.  She loved the U.S. but refused to give up her Canadian citizenship until she discovered she could have dual citizenship.  She was so excited to be a U.S. and Canadian citizen!  She was an excellent teacher and changed the lives of so many of her students.  She exemplified Canada with her warmth, her genuineness, and her kindness.  She was a gentle person, with a great sense of humor, and was very personable.  She was a Canadian role model.

I have even visited Canada many times.  When I was younger, your drinking age was 18, compared to the U.S. age of 21.  As a midwesterner college student, I had many fun times in Canada—thank you!  As I got older, we took our children to visit your great region: the cleanliness, the kindness of people, the awesome natural wonders.  You truly are beautiful.

I guess we are being bullies because we are frustrated with ourselves.  It is common to lash out to the people you love when you are disappointed in yourself.  We are a young country and we are trying to find solutions to our many problems–guns, violence, drugs, corruption, crime to name a few.  Our government says that you are to blame for fentanyl coming into our country.  In reality, about 11 pounds of it comes from Canada across our borders.  But you get about 43 pounds of fentanyl from us!  In comparison, we get about 21,000 pounds from Mexico.  Don’t get me wrong—we are a great nation too but we are throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.  Blaming you is not sticking.  

Please forgive us in this time of our stupidity.  We are trying but failing you in a huge way.  We have a lot of growing to do and we are hurting others by our stubbornness, our cruelty, and our ignorance.

And now, our leaders are threatening to rename one of our Great Lakes--from Lake Ontario to Lake America (insert eye rolling!). But we can't rename it. Our Great Lakes are HOMES--Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. It doesn't even make sense to be HAMES. So, no we will not be renaming anything!!

Forever your friends—Really!!

A few of us from the United States of America

This blog was originally published in April 2025. Because of our continued stupidness at the government level, along with new information, I have republished this blog with current changes.

You are getting a "2-for-1" blog this week. I wanted to republish the Canada blog but I also wanted to say a few short words about the passing of Dolly Parton. Next week, we will continue with Part 2 of a 4-Part series about failures.

One of the few things my mother and I had in common were the love of Dolly Parton. I "grew up" listening to her albums. I still remember one of her earliest albums, with a picture of her, in her wig, and a bandana in her hair. I'm sure you have been inundated with all the tributes to Dolly. So I just have a few words to say about her. In fact, I have one thing that has not been talked about of Dolly and one opinion I have.

First, one of the things that Dolly did do that has not been mentioned is that she actually wrote a book with a famous author, James Patterson. The book was about a country singer and was called Run, Rose, Run. Not only did Dolly co-write the book, she also created a full album to accompany the book. The album is also called Run, Rose, Run.

Finally, my opinion. I consider myself and my family huge Dolly Parton fans. I have watched all the tributes and have shed a few tears myself. However, I disagree with the decision of President Trump to have the flags at half massed in tribute to her death. There used to be guidelines about flags at half massed, and they included that it had to be a national tragedy and it could only be for 3 days. Now it seems that they are flown half massed for anything and everything. That takes away its signficance and its power. Dolly's death is very sad but not a national tragedy. It is a time to grieve, not pay national tribute to a singer and songwriter---no matter how talented, wonderful, kind, and genuine she was.

Let us process our grief but take the politics out of it.

Run, Rose, Run album: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxA687tYuMWh590dcBw7qMIXefoNw5kvk&si=j1YyAIVao-0jSxx_

Blog Website: https://www.lifelessonsfrommemaw.com/  

Email: LifeLessonsFromMemaw@gmail.com