Being Canadian - culture is very important to me. With a Hispanic foster child, we are trying to teach values and respect heritage. With Christmas coming, many traditions of the people in our lives may be overlooked by our own. With a foster child, we need to be tolerant of diversity and not show prejudice towards our neighbours, our children or birth families. This can be a difficult task when truly thought about. That would mean being nice to my family and my husband's family without hesitance and genuine forethought.
Recently we were at a KU basketball game in Lawrence. My first game ever, and even with my most knowledgeable local historian/good friend, the debate and education of basketball's origin continues with
James Naismith here in the state of Kansas. I'm Canadian you see - these facts are very important to me and my heritage.
At the game, our 11 year old foster daughter grabbed my arm, really hard with great determination. I immediately realized she was trying to force my hand on my heart for the Pledge of Allegiance, and I snapped my arm back. Telling her I'm not American and it would be like taking communion from a church not of my faith. But I don't go around burning American flags either - this is just citizenship protocol.
A civilization is a heritage of beliefs, customs, and knowledge slowly accumulated in the course of centuries, elements difficult at times to justify by logic, but justifying themselves as paths when they lead somewhere, since they open up for man his inner distance. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
How do my friends keep balance? What family traditions do you use to preserve heritage?
I can sit-kneel-stand through any Catholic (or Episcopal) mass, but I don't dare go up for the Host.
ReplyDeleteMy brother did once. Mom: "Steve, you're not supposed to palm the Host" *bwahahahaha*
What you did was fine. If someone confronts you "I'm Canadian" usually will shut people up.
There is also nothing wrong with faking your way through public assemblies. What's in your heart is what counts anyway.
As an aside: Grandpa Adamowicz had a green card the day he died. Proud to have kept his Polish citizenship.