For me 2015 was filled with wonder and a deeper sense of the greatness of Canada, my adopted home. We are blessed with democratic institutions that function reasonably well  and benefit all Canadians. The air we breathe is clean, and the food we eat is abundantly available to most. Access to education and health care is universal. Not all is perfect here, but only a few countries in the world provide this to their citizens.

On this first day of 2016, I woke up remembering growing up on a small farm in Punjab, India, the country of my birth. My grandfather used to say two things. One, it’s a good habit to walk the land every morning and check out the fields, the animals, and reflect on yesterday and meditate on today. The second thing he used to say was, “Every day the fields are pregnant.” New life is bursting all around us.

Birth always inspires us. Let each day be all about birthing – birthing new ideas and imaginative ways of living, farming, producing, distributing, and sharing.  Every person deserves to breathe clean air, drink safe water, eat nutritious food, get an education, have meaningful work, and, above all, to live in safe and caring communities.  This is our work together to build a better Canada and a better world for all.

Happy 2016 !