Bye My Dear Baba

Sheena and her beloved family lost their matriarch this week. Good bye my sweet crazy baba. Where else would we have learned in our preschool years to swallow whole raw bacon? And never put pennies in our mouths because Indians scratched their bums with them? And to receive the grace of God by chugging Grape Koolaid and Ginger Ale?

I love you and stand in awe at the sacrifices and hardships you endured just so that your children and grandchildren could have a peaceful prosperous life. The depth of despair and loneliness you must have felt as your family was ripped apart in the Old Country as a teenager. The brutal toil you worked at most of your life to provide a secure and comfortable existence for those around you. The bitterness surfacing in dark moments, but we always understood that you had been forced to lead a life we never needed to fear. We were Canadian. We were safe. Your world was different. We had choices. You had obligations. We thank you. And appreciate the struggle you had to bring us into a world of opportunity.