Let's talk about Canada. Home of the free health care, old-age monthly checks for everyone -- a homeless person would receive a monthly check for $1,100 dollars. I have worked all my life and my Social Security check is not much better than that.

A place that, of course, has problems but also has opportunities. One of the lowest crime rates in the world and relatively few violent crimes. Strict, strict gun control laws. On my last night there, I watched a CBC documentary on guns, and it traced the life story of one gun from its birth and purchase in Texas and its involvement in drugs and crime and the death of its first owner who ran drugs and was 17; its ultimate arrival at a store (a gun store) in Georgia; its travel up the gray steel highway (as it's called) to New York; and, finally, its arrival in Montreal.

Here it was held by another 17-year-old boy in his bedroom, kept at the ready for the U.S. drug dealer when he arrived in Canada. Dealers from the U.S. cross the border with drugs but hide their guns in Canada; these are often group guns much like the gun in Albany that mistakenly shot and killed a child and that destroyed two lives, the one that was shot and the young boy who did the shooting. Much like that tragedy, the younger brother (a 7-year-old) of the boy who was storing the weapon found the gun in a dresser drawer in the bedroom he shared with his brother. The 7-year-old and his friend started fighting over the gun and it went off, killing the child.

This is an old, old, tragic story. This gun's history was traced through its serial number right back to square one. What is really horrifying is the gun store in Georgia where it was purchased. There is a comprehensive study (on computer) done by a U.S.-funded agency that traces guns used and reused in crime. This particular gun store, among the 80,000 gun stores in this country, came up eighth in the country for selling crime weapons, reusable guns. Someone would go in and buy 30 handguns (small and powerful) at a time almost every week and then send them up the gray steel highway to Brooklyn and New Jersey. The involvement of the NRA in keeping these stores open is another tale to tell.

This documentary had the former lawyer of the NRA speak about lies and guns and politics. A whistle- blower extraordinaire. Why did I have to go to Canada to view this expose on American gun addiction?

We don't need weapons to protect ourselves from crime. We need laws to protect ourselves from weapons. I see this all around the streets of Schenectady. Guns like high-tech toys, better than video games, better than sex.

These are the new standard of manhood for little boys. A gun brings you (here's THAT word again...) RESPECT! These children need to know that a gun brings you death, a gun brings you destruction, prison, regrets and sorrow.

And see, if this doesn't sound like us. Over a seven-year period, four young girls had died and/or disappeared. All from an Indian reservation. These children, ranging in age from 14 to 17, had fallen through their respective safety nets. They were in and out of foster care, bed hopping, using drugs and doing some small time dealing, finally turning to prostitution to survive.

This city (very small, as we are) has called for massive investigations into the (hold your breath folks) city. The police, social services, schools, etc. They (the city people) want to know how these children came upon such hard times in their city. They want to know how their city, their schools, their neighborhoods, their aid systems failed these children. They want to know how they failed. They want to change. Not by calling in experts to say "you did the best you could." But starting by revamping their networks, their safety systems, their youth aid not money for flowers, or restaurants, or outside speakers, but money applied directly on children.

Children. I'll say it again, money for children, so they won't feel isolated, frightened and alone. What a unique idea. Parks and food and late night programs and beds for kids. And love and hugs and inclusion. Inclusion in everyone's life. There was a live poll being taken in major cities in Canada, "What do you think we need to make our cities more livable?" Smile, yup, smile at strangers, see people as real. Shake hands, hug and smile. Naive, you say? Is it really? Open your minds and hearts and invite everyone in.

The second suggestion, equally fine. Toilets. Canadians are not afraid to use the word "toilet." More public toilets, no one should ever have to be turned away from one of life's most basic functions. No one should have to hide in a corner and pee illegally. This is a natural function. The illegality here is turning people away from toilets. No more signs saying, "For customers only."

Which idea do you like? I think we need them both.

Amy Tan writes, "Sometimes I feel like I'm a pair of eyes and ears and I'm just trying to stay safe and make sense of what's happening. I know what to avoid, what to worry about. I'm like those kids who live with gunfire going off around them. I don't want pain. I don't want to die. I don't want to see other people around me die. But, I don't have anything left inside me to figure out where I fit in or what I want. If I want anything, it's to know what's possible to want."

When I was at Nova Scotia, we had two hurricanes in two weeks and the water lilies in our lake drowned. For days I mourned their passing and, lo, they grew up, straight up to the sun and they bloomed. Just like our children can rise and rise and bloom and bloom.