I could not help showering the Prairies with praise while on a quick weekend trip to the Washington D.C. area for a wedding.
Family joined me and my wife on visits to the U.S. Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. These are incredible institutions much like the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Assiniboine Park Conservancy.
The coastal folks were curious about what compares in our part of the continent. I quickly lauded the Winnipeg locations I’ve come to cherish and appreciate.
The parallels between the displays at CMHR and the Smithsonian were obvious - moving, heartbreaking and uplifting. Although I admire Canada for its more sincere effort at reconciliation, I felt a new sense of pride in my own country. The history and ongoing dedication to culture of Indigenous peoples in what is now the U.S. gave me new perspectives and hope that we can follow Canada’s lead and do better.
The parallels between the flora at APC and USBG were intoxicating. Rich displays of life from climates across the globe tickled all the senses. From damp to dry, artistic and agricultural - each room served as a reminder of the great fortune humans share as inhabitants of the green planet.
The hustle of the crowds slowed in both D.C. locations as history and nature have the power to calm us to contemplative states.
Although my heart is truly rooted in the openness of the prairies and quiet of Turtle Mountain, I stopped to soak in the many languages and accents seldom heard in rural life.
Perhaps I can keep these fresh memories as new life and new visitors begin to explore the International Peace Garden this summer. We truly are more connected than we tend to acknowledge when daily toils obscure the peace within us. And the peace that can bind us.
Summer, much like the holiday season, can quickly be filled with have-to-dos. It does not need to. We have museums, gardens, each other. These wonderful places for gathering are calling us to better understand all living things past and present.
If you are unsure about the state of the world and how you fit, look no further. It is in these cherished spaces of learning that we can feel the wonder and beauty of being small. Small in the humbling sense of a blade of grass or an artifact from centuries ago. Each of these plays a role in the transfer of energy that never ends.
Tim Chapman is the CEO at the International Peace Garden on the border of Manitoba and North Dakota. The Garden is open year-round and grooming ski trails for the first time this winter. Rent one of our cabins and enjoy a winter weekend that only the forest of the Turtle Mountains can provide.
