Lessons from the Past and Hope for the Future

We celebrated our grandchildren's birthdays at the beginning of the month, marvelling at how they could be 5 and 7 years old already. Time flies, speeding up even more as we get older. The children asked me if I had an iPad when I was young and were shocked to hear that we had no tablets, smartphones or computers not only in the mid-20th century but also when their mother and aunts were born in the 1980s. 

I bought my first iPad in 2011, a year after Apple introduced them and only six years before our granddaughter was born. This is recent history for me and "ancient" history for her. She has a vague concept of history and is just starting to consolidate memories of her present. Events of my life are of little interest to her generation but a knowledge of history is essential in bringing perspective to the present, whether we are trying to understand family relationships or world events.

The Ottawa area has many interesting museums. We visited the Canadian Museum of Nature with our grandson. We saw ancient fossilized dinosaur bones and the enormous skeleton of a Blue Whale. 

Plaster cast of the Spirit of the Haida Gwaii by Bill Reid- Canadian Museum of History

The next day we visited the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, PQ. The exhibits explore the events, people and cultures that shaped the Canada we live in today. Much of Canadian history over the centuries was characterized by conflict. I was reminded of the tumultuous world events in the 1960s and 70s when my generation of Baby Boomers came of age. It was 61 years ago today that I ran home from school with the news that President Kennedy had been assassinated. At the age of 8, I didn't know who he was but I won't forget the look of shock on my mother's face when I told her why we were dismissed early. The years that followed will be remembered as the time of the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, three wars involving Israel as well as many other significant world events. In Canada, we remember the FLQ crisis and the murder of Pierre Laporte in 1970.

Canadian Museum of History

The American election took place when we were in Ottawa. By the time our grandchildren learn about the 2024 election in school, many of today's headliners will be dead. Time will tell whether the current political divides and social conflicts that fill our news feeds this year will bring lasting changes in the future. Political popularity swings left and right like a pendulum. As the world swings right today, it undoubtedly will swing left tomorrow. History confirms this. 

I hope I can share some of my history in a meaningful way with our grandchildren. This blog contains many written memories but the stories I remember best are the oral histories shared by family members, teachers, friends and acquaintances. 

It is easy to focus on what is wrong in the world today but it is important to cultivate optimism for present and future generations.

 Psalm 67 was the key scripture in my lectionary readings this week. It is a prayer of blessing and hope for the future, not only for the peace of the nations but also for the restoration of the earth. 

Psalm 67

For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

1 May God be merciful and bless us.
    May his face smile with favour on us. Interlude

May your ways be known throughout the earth,
    your saving power among people everywhere.

May the nations praise you, O God.
    Yes, may all the nations praise you.

Let the whole world sing for joy
    because you govern the nations with justice
    and guide the people of the whole world. Interlude 

May the nations praise you, O God.
    Yes, may all the nations praise you.
 Then the earth will yield its harvests,
    and God, our God, will richly bless us.
 Yes, God will bless us,
    and people all over the world will fear him.