Hope and Love

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

These are the last words,

Jack Layton,

wrote to Canadians.

Impressive.

How often do you hear,

the word love,

from a politician.

I tell you,

for me,

it was,

the first time.

I am sadened by the death,

of Jack,

I didn’t know him,

personally,

but,

I felt like I did.

There was something,

about him.

People felt close to him,

he was a guy,

with a smile,

and a hopelessly,

unfashionable,

mustache.

His favourite song was,

Imagine,

brave- in a jaded world, where optimism and hope and the expression of sentiment has become- suspect and passé.

The people of Québec,

voted massively,

for Jack,

in the last federal election.

We were criticised,

even laughed at.

Told by the national,

and,

local Media,

that we were,

at best,

ridiculously naive,

and,

optimistic,

at worst,

lazy and,

uninformed,

but,

I think,

it’s much more,

basic than that,

we were willing,

to give Jack,

a chance.

Hope was,

better than fear,

it still is,

and will remain that way.

Jack appeared,

on Québec’s most watched,

French language television show,

Tout Le Monde En Parle,

you want to get the pulse,

of what’s going on in the world,

and our little part of it,

you watch this show.

A kitchen table,

discussion,

on Sunday nights.

Quebeckers,

are kitchen table types.

Jack spoke to us,

in a good, accented,

French and we listened,

and voted.

Before the vote,

some of our so-called,

intelligentsia,

seeing the NDP rise,

in the polls,

tried to put,

Jack and his team,

down,

comparing him,

to a used car salesman,

it was the wrong tactic,

made him,

seem even more,

one of us,

a real guy.

Jack got a massive,

majority in Québec,

and elected some,

brilliant,

dedicated,

involved,

Members of Parliament,

Sure, some of them were token candidates who never expected to win, does that make them less qualified than career politicians? I don’t think so:-) besides, every party has their share of embarassing back benchers, just like every family has black sheep and excentrics.

My point is,

Jack was about,

Hope and Love,

and we must never give up,

Hope for fear,

and,

Love for Anger,

this is our Country,

and,

our World,

and we must toil,

to make them better.

For the memory,

of Jack,

and,

others,

for the optimists.

Hope and Love,

four letter words,

that say it all:-)

Later girls,

BB