By Mike Bossy

In the summer, I will sometimes re-read a fictional book. I have decided that I would re-read all of Tom Clancy’s novels (everyone needs a goal). I just finished Sum of All Fears. In the book, Bart Mancuso is a former submarine commander who is reflecting on his promotion and no longer in command of a submarine. The quote below had me thinking about my grandparents and their immigration stories.

“….. like it must have been for immigrants, as it had been for his own ancestors, looking back one last time at Italy [substitute Belgium here for me], knowing that they would never return to it, that their lives were irrevocably changed.”

My grandparents had made a decision or rather had one thrust upon them. For the most part they only came to Canada with a suitcase and had to fit into the Canadian culture and start anew. There was no going back. They had dreams for a better life. They set goals. They made things better. Canada was this amazing place to develop their own stories without being encumbered by the past.

I am extremely lucky that they got on those boats.