It is early January 2021 and here we are facing more uncertainty. This time last year I was preparing for a trip to Allentown Pennsylvania to visit a friend and dogsit for him while he went to a work conference in Las Vegas. It was the first time I had been to the USA in over a year and I had never visited that part of the country so I was excited. The week went very well. My canine buddy is a Cane Corso breed and the most adorable dog. At first I was a bit worried about walking her as she is very strong and could easily have pulled me over. We had a good talk though and I let her know that I was in charge of the walks and if she wanted to go out then she needed to pay attention to my lead. She listened and as a result we both enjoyed getting out a few times a days for long walks in the neighborhood. As often happens when you have a dog people stopped to talk to me and engaged in conversation.

My friend lives in the downtown core of Allentown which is a historic district and in some places a little run down. Still, like the buildings,the people have character and there is a real cross section of cultural diversity. That also means lots of different food to grab at diners and take out places. The cemetery where we sometimes walked had lots of very old gravestones from the early 1800s. I read some of them and there were lots of children and young women and men. It was interesting being in the USA and seeing it from the ground among the people instead of through the eyes of the media. I did notice there was no Canadian news to be found anywhere on the TV the whole time I was there though.

At the end of my visit my friend, Greg and I took a day trip to New York City. Remember this is the last week in January 2020 before all the lockdowns started. I was in heaven. I have always wanted to visit New York City and here I was in the middle of winter walking the theatre district and eating lunch in a restaurant on Broadway! I felt like Mary Tyler Moore wanting to throw my hat in the air. After lunch we walked over to Time Square and then down to the World Trade Centre. It was a memorable experience to just stand on that parcel of land where so much happened and so many people lost their lives. When I think about it today, I wonder what will be remembered when the dust settles after all the domestic terrorism in USA now.

I pray for PEACE and a new world order that gives us all a chance to begin again and live together celebrating what it is we have and offering what we can to those in need. I honestly believe that as human beings we are more naturally kind and loving than we are cruel and violent. May we all someday remember who we truly are and where we came from. A new year a new beginning. Let’s make the most of it shall we?