Life is a gift

Could you imagine leaving every single one of your possessions behind, not knowing whether you would ever see your mother or bestfriend again, with your 9 month pregnant wife and toddler child in tow? That is the reality that thousands of Libyans have been faced with in a pursuit of a future for their family. Sadly, one too many have perished in the fight for life.

This is a situation that I learned more about on a trip to Sicily last year when a boat of 400 refugees sought their future in a small town of just over 4,500 people on the Mediterranean coast where we were staying. Italians cannot single handily find a remedy to this situation and war torn refugees deserve a hope to live the future, I pray that the European Union is able to find a remedy in this very trying situation.

I did not intend to make this a dark post, but as someone who experienced this situation first hand and is a great-grandchild of a man who fought to get his family to Canada 1908 I realize how much each day is a gift.

It is human nature to complain about such trivial details in life such as a traffic jam, the 10th rainy day in a row, the friend who pissed you off, Facebook changing its layout, all this petty sh*t.

If you were lucky enough to wake up this morning with a roof over your head, food in your fridge, a family that you love and a job where you can earn a living, please realize it. There are millions of people in this world who are fighting for every minute of their life. Giving is not the privilege of the rich it the privilege of the sincere.

This life is a gift, I hope you lead each day with love and gratitude. The world owes you nothing, it was here first.

Ahhh....peace and love