July 17 Toronto

Years ago, about 40 years ago when we moved to Victoria British Columbia from Edmonton, Alberta I felt like Victoria was truly my city. I knew my way around it, quaint, slow paced and easy to get from one end of the city to the other. As the years passed and progress caught up with the rather slow pace, the face of "my city" changed. The familiar little shops and neighbourhoods had been replaced by big box stores, faster and more cars and an influx of varried cultures.
I always felt that I was a part of Canada, and Canada was a big part of me. Somehow the "old familiar" is no longer there. I am surrounded by languages that I do not understand, instead of neighbourhoods of white canadians we are encompassed in neighbourhoods of dark skinned people. Johnny come lately who know their way around the politics much better than I do. Many are soft spoken and try to blend into their 'new country' but more and more evident to me - I am the outsider, the minority - looking in on Canada.

Our voice from the west of Canada is barely audible against the multitude of emmigrant voices who demand and expect the bounty of Canada to be handed to them. I am second generation Canadian with a heritage of four grandparents, uncles, aunts and parents who worked tirelessly to build and strengthen this country of ours. I hope that will be the code of our new Canadians.

Wonderful priviledge to go to the Oakland, California temple to attend the wedding of my granddaughter, Marie Fisher to Daniel Marquis. Kathryn, Gabriella and Lily Parker, joined us at David's home for the event. The young bride and groom were so happy and so beautiful. They were married for time and eternity in one of the Holy Temples of the Lord. What a promising way to begin life together.

Another special two days for us was to attend the Hill Cumorah Pagent at Palmyra, New York where over 800 actors and actresses enacted stories of the Nephites, Lamanites and the visit of Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, to the American continent, accounts taken from recorded history in the Book of Mormon. We walked through the sacred grove where God the Eternal Father and Jesus Christ appeared to the boy Joseph Smith - in answer to his prayer as to which church he should join. We walked past the apple orchard, the barn and the copper shed on the Smith farm, also toured replicas of the log house and the frame house that was their home in Palmyra, New York.
The B&B where we stayed was just up the street from where there was a church on every corner. Large brick and limestone buildings. We drove to the temple in Palmyra and toured the visitors centre at the pagent. Palmyra is home to many many large and stately homes with wide and long green green grass lawns and huge trees - similar to a southern plantation home I would suspect.

Toronto is very close to many points of interest and many historical events. It is a busy busy city with great diversification. This week the news is all about a popular car race. On goes the beat! Elaine