Every Thanksgiving many of us reflect on what we were grateful for. This past weekend was likely full of turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and yams. A veritable cornucopia of over indulgence and feasting.
We are grateful for being able to enjoy these dinners without having to wonder where the next meal is coming from. We are grateful to have our family and friends around us to help celebrate the harvest. We are grateful we have a harvest.
In today’s world where famine, war and disease is so commonplace, we are indeed fortunate that we are relatively safe here in Canada. But the world is changing and we are not as isolated as we once were. Our actions can have a ripple effect.
We may not be able to change anything nationally or even provincially, but we can change things locally, thankfully. Out votes for local government are the closest to having some say in what happens.
With the election gearing up, we are seeing new faces come forward. There will be a change in council and it is hoped that a few new councillors with different perspectives on Sooke will take their seats in the council chamber. There are the “old” Sookies and the “new” Sookies and somehow they are going to have to be able to work together for the sake of all of Sooke. Both the old and the new have their followers, but old loyalties shouldn’t be a reason for casting a vote for an old Sookie. Each vote should be cast for the candidate who best serves the entire community with no conflict of interest.
There doesn’t need to be some kind of divide, each person on council should be there for the good of all of Sooke. It’s not just the old boys’ network anymore, there’s a whole new generation of Sookies who also call Sooke home.