My father maintains friendships with people in various parts of the world. He is getting quite old, and at times reflective. Here’s a letter he sent recently to family friends in Italy.
Dear Marchesinis :
Two days ago, two women were created justices of the Supreme Court of Canada. Now, of the nine justices of the Supreme Court, four are women. I consider that belatedly appropriate.
One of the two women, after beginning her acceptance speech, needed some moments to calm her emotions because she had come to Canada after the war as a refugee from a displaced persons camp in Europe. You will remember that our head of state is a Chinese woman who also came to Canada, during the war, as a refugee from Hong Kong, via Mozambique.
You will recall the sculpture of Bill Reid in the airport, called Haida Gwaii, portraying the spirit of the Haida people, one of the aboriginal peoples or “First Nations” of Canada That was a copy in jade of the original in bronze which stands in front of the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C. Now a photo of Haida Guaii is a component of our new $20 bill. I am pleased that symbols of the attitudes of the earlier peoples of this continent are being shown to all Canadians and to the peoples of our world.
Thor Heyerdahl considered that the Hawaiians, the Polynesians and the Maori of New Zealand, derived from the people from the west coast of what is Canada today, mixed with an element of the Inca “nobility” of South America, possibly Vikings.. The peoples of the west coast have long been recognized as great sailors who roamed the Pacific Ocean. Indeed, Heyerdahl related that he had encountered an old Maori in New Zealand who recounted that some of his forebears had traveled back to Hawaii and to North America.
What a misfortune that our present world is plagued with the arrogant “Americans”.
Here’s their reply …
Bob;
You read mainly English written newspapers, so probably you are are not informed of the great liberal reforms that are taking place in Spain.
Not all in the world is going back: some part of it is going forward. Spain once was one of the most old catholic style country; now it is one of the most liberal for problems concerning the rights of the homosexuals, for instance, and its tolerance is becoming similar to the tolerance of Holland.
You should probably go and visit it: it would be a great occasion to practice your Spanish and to come some days to Italy “para matar saudade” (this is Portuguese, but I think you will understand the meaning).
Regards to all Husbands.
Andrea
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