We all have our struggles. We lose parents, uncles and aunts. Some of us lose brothers and sisters and friends. Some of us lose spouses. When you get to a certain age, loss is a fact of life.
I always liked the idea of Family Day. It really is one of the more considerate and gentle governmental ideas that I’ve heard of in the last twenty years.
But like Christmas or Valentine’s Day, days that can be precious to most, they can be hard on people.
When you don’t have a family, it’s just another reminder. I wish the best to my family who celebrate this day as a holiday and a time of celebration. But when you hug your children, show great love to your parents, or simply enjoy the day off, remember that there are those who have no parents and have no children and a day off is more a curse than a blessing.
Every celebration for most of us can be a hard time for some of us.
The guy playing guitar in front of the liquor store. The mum going to the food bank. The prostitute you drive by on your way home and don’t even see because they are invisible.
Maybe someday Family Day will include a larger family. All of us. Because really, we’re all family. And all in this together.