It is a quiet street, the one we live on. Almost a cul-de-sac. Very little traffic to disturb the day. Most traffic representing people who live on the street. The street is rarely used as a short-cut to another street. An excellent street for people who appreciate peace and quiet. A very appropriate street for people with young children, although there are now more retired people living on the street than families with young children.

A regular intervals when school is set to begin for the day and when it is dismissed, several school buses trundle down the street, mornings taking children to their classes, and then returning them safely to home in the afternoon. We hardly notice their presence. It is reassuring in a way to know that the needs of children are well taken care of.

Recently a new family moved to the street. Most new residents who purchase houses for re-sale on the street, a very much prized location, are families with young children. This new family bought the house from another family with young children who placed their house on the market and moved because the parents were separating and they were down-sizing.

We have met the father of the three young children recently moved to the street, four houses up from ours. He's a genial-enough person, quite cognizant of all the amenities to family life the street offers, including easy access to a wild green space up the street, leading to a wooded ravine which has been left to its own devices, fully appreciated and municipally protected.

Although we have not met the mother of the three very young children, only one of whom has begun to attend primary school, we did meet the children's caregiver. She is a young, extremely pleasant, outgoing Filipina. She takes full charge of the children throughout the week, from seven in the morning to four in the afternoon. I know how arduous that must be, having looked after just one young child a decade ago, for nine years from seven in the morning to six in the evening, our own grandchild.

She speaks wistfully of her home in the Philippines, but makes it obvious in our conversation that she is grateful for the opportunity to live in Canada, as a nanny, sending home a good portion of her earnings to her family. She has made what appears to me to be a supreme sacrifice; leaving her own three children behind, at home, with her husband.

She is eager to sponsor her family, to join her here in Canada. The paperwork has started, but it is a long-drawn-out and anxious procedure requiring great patience. She has, obviously, great patience. As do the many young women from the Philippines who come here as nurses, aides, and companions for the aged.

Life is pleasant for so many people, contingent on where they live, what social stratum they represent, the opportunities available to them. Conversely, even those with all the advantages so often find themselves at odds with good fortune.