Amazing refugees!

 Before I talk about a family of Syrian refugees who came to Canada destitute four years ago, I want to talk about the 1942 movie, 'Mrs. Miniver'.  That's how I feel these days, when B goes out to do battle in the grocery stores, just as Walter Pigeon did in the movie.  While  I stay on the home front and do household chores and cook, he slaves in the trenches risking life and limb to keep the larder full.  Aren't the grocery and liquor stores amazing!  They have kept us all stocked and for that I am very grateful.  

But back to the Syrian refugees.

The folio story in 'The Globe and Mail' today was a wonderful account of a Syrian family who arrived in Calgary four years ago and three days after landing, was starting to experiment with growing different kinds of vegetables in their new backyard.  Vegetable farmers in their native country, they were determined to become vegetable farmers in their new country.  And boy, have they succeeded!  Given a corner of a canola field northeast of Calgary when they started, they have since donated 952 kilograms of beets and other fresh produce to the Calgary Food Bank.

952 kilograms!  Now they tend six acres and all five children are part of the enterprise.  This year, they grew approximately 9,100 kg of food, most of which they sold, but a generous amount of which they donated to the food bank.  The father applied for, and was granted, a permit to build a greenhouse, which he hopes to expand to seven.

This is a beautiful success story of a family that arrived in Calgary with nothing, but which has flourished and given generously back to the city that welcomed them.  

This is a lesson natives should learn from.  They have vast tracts of land in the form of the reserves they inhabit.  Why don't they take the initiative and do something useful and productive with them?  Why not indeed?

Guess we should ask Perry Bellegarde that question.  Instead of asking for more, give back, Perry.  Show some gratitude and do something for your people and the rest of Canada.  Here is the family of which I write, hard at work: