The sound of my grandchildren’s laughter drifts across the calm waters, a balm to my soul. They have come with their mother, my eldest daughter, for a visit to our island home. My heart is full. Seated on a red bench, strategically placed on the mossy slope, I gaze at the vast ocean, stretching to the mainland – my Canada, my home and native land.

As a teenager living on a Canadian Armed Forces base in Germany, every day I passed a mirror at the base gate that held a cryptic message: “The person you see in this mirror is a reflection of Canada. Act accordingly.” Having spent my formative years abroad, I wrestled with this concept of Canadian identity. Neither of my parents were born Canadian. Having arrived after the Second World War, they were a blend of Irish, Indian, French, and Portuguese blood. Their origins offered a multicultural reality akin to the ‘mosaic’ of Canada’s peoples that felt far removed from the mirror’s directive. In my parents’ home, a crucifix stood on the fireplace mantel beside a statue of Shiva. Christmas Eve celebrations included Tortiere and spicy curry and Popadum. And always, the air was scented with Sandalwood incense mingling with the aroma of my father’s Gauloise.

My return to Canada in my twenties was a cultural shock. I longed for the vibrant markets, the Sunday Volksmarches, strolls along the Rhine River, Christkindl markets and the warmth of European camaraderie. I yearned for a Canada I barely knew, a land I called ‘home’ but felt foreign in.

Fifty years later, the question lingers: what does it mean to “act accordingly” as a Canadian? Through the noise of news and social media, I’ve discovered it’s not about rigid definitions. It’s about the fluidity of belonging, anchored in Canada’s multicultural mosaic, accepting of all, no matter what pew you kneel at or language you speak. It’s grounded in universal values: community, compassion, and collaboration. Values that recognize and honour our shared humanity, regardless of our diverse origins.

Being Canadian is about open acceptance, treating everyone with dignity and respect, and above all, practicing kindness. When I walk through my day, striving to tread lightly on the land and softly on the hearts around me, I believe I am finally understanding what that mirror meant. There is no one way to be Canadian. Every way is appreciated and celebrated. It’s the Canadian way.

Sitting on a bench overlooking the ocean, hearing my grandchildren play along the shore, and feeling the moist air caress my face, I feel my roots settling into this land that has always been my home, no matter how far I roamed. Beneath the vastness of dusk settling upon the distant horizon to the east, I settle deeply into the knowing that ‘I am Canadian’ is not a battle cry. It is a commitment to being the mirror of my home and native land in everything I do and say in ways that reflect the truth, I am Canadian and proud of it.