Dear Readers,

Oct. 13 was Thanksgiving Day in Canada, unlike in the USA where Thanksgiving will be celebrated only on Nov. 27. Traditionally, in North America Thanksgiving is celebrated with a turkey dinner with all the trimmings which is a good opportunity for families to get together and be thankful for what we have. But in other parts of the world, there are different Thanksgiving traditions. In Germany, where I grew up, the Harvest Thanksgiving Festival (Erntedankfest), is a popular Christian festival on the first Sunday of October. The festival has a significant religious component, and many churches are decorated with autumn crops. In some places, there are religious processions or parades. If we are religious or not, we should always be thankful for what we have and count our blessings. Many immigrants, who come from poor countries, appreciate the privileges we have here in Canada and do not take them for granted, like some Canadians who were born and raised here and have never lived in another country. And many immigrants are making contributions to give something back to the country that gave them and their families a new home and many opportunities. Thank you, Canada, we will be forever grateful to be able to live in the “The Promised Land”!

Arnim Joop 
Publisher & Editor
mwmosaic@telus.net