The things I learned in Canada...

Where the Maple Leaf grows national pride and hockey scares are badges of courage, where the most common phrase is "No problem, eh?" and even bums say please and thank you, that is where I learned some life lessons. I think that I am a generally good person. I don't steal lie or cheat. (Ok, so maybe I lied-does cheating at Clue count?). The worst thing that I have ever done in my life is make fun of this kid named Denis Scoleville in the second grade. I wanted to fit in and for once I wasn't the focus of the teasing. I felt so bad that when I came home I actually threw up. I thought that it was a fitting punishment for making an other human being feel so small. But I grew up and learned and hopefully I turned out alright. And although I don't think of myself as a selfish person, I do think that I can be a litte short sided at times. This brings me to my life lessons. Chad and I went to Canada. And we fell in love. If you have never been to Vancouver, you have to make a trip out there. We went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant with some of the people we were there with. After dinner, we started off on our way back to the hotel where we passed a man holding a cardboard sign which said simply "Please Help". As good as a person as I think I am, I must admit that I just passed by without a second thought. Our friend Scott, however, stopped to ask the man how he was doing. "I've been better". The homeless man replied. Scott then dug into his shirt pocket and retrieved his cigarettes. He got down on the homeless man's level to light it for him. Then he gave him some money. But not just a dollar or two, he gave him a wad. ( I really don't know how much a wad is, but more then just a token). It was one of the most inspirational moments that I was lucky enough to witness. Scott doesn't go to church and he smokes like a chimney. And yet, I who attend at least sacrament every Sunday and has never smoked drank or anything of that sort, just passed up an other person in need. Someone who in the grand scheme of things is literally my brother. I thought of the parable of the Good Samaritan and realized that I was watching a modern day remake of that old Bible story being played out right before my eyes. How many times do we see someone who needs help? How many times do we see someone we know with red puffy eyes, and never think to ask if everything is all right? After all, it really is none of our business. But in reality we are each others business. We generally won't run into a situation where we can do things incredibly heroic. It is not everyday that we get the opportunity to save children from a burning building or to reach into the icy gulf of a river and pull out someone who is drowning. But we do get to pass people in need on the streets on a day to day basis. I bet if you asked that homeless man on the streets of Vancouver, he would agree that Scott was very heroic that day.