Thank You for becoming a Carlsvilleproject Contributor.
I consider Wendy to be a friend, although we have never really met. She continues to reach out with her messages, to touch people as she can, and to find her own way as her present recovery from cancer promises to be a long, arduous journey.
Never-the-less with pauses in her communication and the support of her many friends she continues to maintain a positive and wonderful spirit. Wendy is full of humanity and provides a kind word for anyone who would be in need of support. She lives the following definition of "life" which is: “The purpose of life is a life with purpose.” In the spirit of this creed we have published a portion of Wendy’s most recent post.
Carl
Wendy:
Just finished watching the movie Prairie Giant, a made-for-TV movie about the life of Tommy Douglas. Wow, what a great movie! Every Canadian should watch this film, and probably every North American, come to think of it.
When Baptist preacher Tommy Douglas (Michael Therriault) takes up his new post in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in 1930, he's dismayed by the injustice he sees. Soon, his desire to address the problems drives him to take his message beyond the pulpit. This drama tells the true story of how the beloved Canadian reformer went from being a parish pastor to leading the first socialist government in North America (as premier of Saskatchewan).
Tommy Douglas (1904 – 1986) is the founder of Canadian Medicare. Tommy's daughter is Shirley Douglas, Shirley married Canadian actor Donald Sutherland, and their famous son is Kiefer Sutherland.
Prairie Giant is a wonderful chronicling of the political fight Tommy pursued to ensure all Canadians had access to free health care. He was a Baptist pastor, but had to resign when the denominational heads told him he could not be a pastor and a politician simultaneously.
Contrast that with Michael Moore's movie, Sicko. Moore's documentary focuses on the greed of the HMOs - Health Maintenance Organizations - and the absolute misery they allow to happen to their members.
Of course, Canada and the States have very strong ideas about each others' medical systems. Americans seem to hear horror stories about Canadians and their socialized medicine, while Canadians hear the sheer awfulness of their victimized neighbors-to-the-south and the despicable practices of these health insurance companies. Any Americans or Canadians care to comment below or clear up some of the myths surrounding either system?
I, for one, will forever go on the record as being grateful for socialized medicine. Even though there are many obvious flaws in our system, and even though doctors in Quebec in particular do not get anything close to a fair deal from our provincial government, I cannot tell you what an enormous relief it is to be receiving free health services at such a time as this.
“We are all in this world together, and the only test of our character that matters is how we look after the least fortunate among us. How we look after each other, not how we look after ourselves. That’s all that really matters, I think.”
Tommy Douglas
It is bad enough to be faced with constant health concerns, without having to worry about bills, payment deadlines and the like.
And so, while Kiefer Sutherland is a famous actor and gets lots of notoriety, it's his grandfather tonight that I am celebrating, and tonight I am thanking God for His humble, persistent servant Tommy Douglas, who took pity on the plight of the sick and the dying and who, at great personal cost, pushed for Medicare until he saw victory in the political arena, and saw Medicare established on a federal level. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Tommy!
Sincerely,
Wendy
To contact Wendy or read Adventures With Wendy click near the arrow at the top of this post or find it on the blog roll on this site.
