Funny life’s coincidences. On a recent trip into our own backyard to Deer Lake and the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival, we were serenaded by beautifully truthful words from a neighbour. Words that for a lifetime we’ve been learning as we travel the world.

Everybody’s different, but everybody’s the same.

Who was singing these words of wisdom? My latest crush, Murray Porter, a Mohawk piano player and blues man, hailing from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, and now living in North Vancouver. I can’t believe we’ve spent much of our lives living within in an hour of each other, both in Ontario and BC, and I am only now just hearing his beautiful music and even more beautiful words. My kind of fellow!

We’re all in this thing together, we’re all in the same canoe. If we’re going make it down this river, your going to need me and I’m going to need you.

We’ve got to love one another, we’ve got to get along.

My thanks to the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival for not only introducing all of us to a talented blues musician, but sharing some words of hope and kindness that we all dearly need.