They came for the children

     "It was like living like a dog. A society, which at one time wanted the Indian child dead, buried or just plain forgotten." 

—  from a survivor of one of Canada's residential schools 

     

   

   
     The first national event of its kind — the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the four-day event just wrapped up in Edmonton. 

     

     The city's mayor Don Iverson proclaimed March 2014 to March 2015 a year of reconciliation. The province of Alberta will now include the history of residential schools in its curriculum — creating a greater public awareness — much welcomed by the survivors.

     

     It has been said, that there are 80,000 former residential school students still living. 

     For over 100 years, aboriginal children across Canada were taken from their families and placed in these schools. They were stripped of their language, cultural identity and traditions and endured unbelievable abuse. 

     

     During the reconciliation event many Canadian survivors found comfort together as they shared haunting memories of the experiences they lived through. 

     

     "Often, stories need to be heard to inspire change." 

     An apology was recently offers by Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to this 'now' generation of aboriginal Canadians. I expect there are many others, like myself, that have never fully understood why this very dark part of our Canadian history had to unfold as it did. 
     
     Could there not have been a more humane way found, in dealing with this issue? I am appalled, to realize such atrocities happened in my wonderful Canada  — "the land of the free" — to human beings like myself, all created in God's own image. 

     

     We realize, it is often difficult to make right, the many wrongs from our past. But, left us pray for forgiveness, and that a history lesson such as this one will never again repeat itself.
     As Canadians, may we learn to embrace each other with mutual respect, obeying Christ's command to... "love our neighbour as ourself," creating a better shared history for the generations yet to come.

     "We have committed The Golden Rule to memory; now let us commit it to life."

— E. Markham  

— beulah