Thanksgiving and Nobel Peace Prize

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The elections here in Canada and the US plus the world economy has taken far too much of our attention lately. Canadians vote on Tuesday, October 14th and that night will be an anxious one awaiting results that we hope will be an improvement over the past three years. Cross that off the anxiety list and we’ll still worry about the American one and hope they, too, will vote in a better future.

It’s Thanksgiving here this weekend. With one daughter at home, we’ll have a quiet, simple healthy feast of a small organic turkey, yams, brussel sprouts and apple cranberry crisp. We’ll remember with love our family away presently in England and north of us here in BC. We hope that they will be alright in this downturn of the economy. Canadian banks are not as badly affected but nevertheless, because our neighbour is our largest trading partner, our economy is affected. My husband and I learned from our thrifty immigrant parents to be savers and work hard to be debt-free. It’s an old-fashioned concept that is being mentioned in the media these days as we hear about how many people are over-extended with credit. My husband may not retire as soon as we’d hoped because his pension is affected, but we’re thankful his health is good and his job seems secure.

It’s been a relief from the maddening world for me to escape into my artmaking for a few hours almost every day. I may not change the world with my art, but it keeps the world from changing me too much. Something to be thankful for.

On another note, I must add that I’m very proud that a former president of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Congratulations! Though some are not happy about it. Ahtisaari believes that:

His idealistic realism came early in life. Born in Finnish Karelia, he and his family fled Stalin’s invading forces in the 1939-40 Winter War. The experience, he said earlier this month, “explains my desire to advance peace and thus help others who have gone through similar experiences as I did”.

Here are more links about Martti Ahtisaari in Helsingin Sanomat. Many thanks for people like him!

Happy Thanksgiving and hopes for a better world for everyone.

October 12, 2008 in Canada and BC, Culture, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, Home by Marja-Leena