Torch Pride

I’m a proud Canadian anytime, but I am really aware of it when a Canadian does something extraordinary or a special event occurs that showcases what a wonderful country we have. There has been a lot of that happening these days with the Olympics set to open in Vancouver on February 12, 2010.

I got a chance to be part of one of those special events recently when the Olympic Torch Relay went through Hamilton. Don and I stood by the side of the road on a cold Saturday evening just before Christmas. The spot we chose to stand was perfect -- at the end of the ramp off the highway where the flame had been transported from Burlington. It was the beginning of a leg of a journey, so there were hundreds of people to watch a very-excited torch-bearer ignite her torch from the small spark in a transport container and cheer wildly as the flame began its journey through Hamilton. It occurred after dark which made the flame all the more spectacular.

We were so excited that we stood by the side of the road again the next morning to watch the torch as it went through the east end of Hamilton (it spent the night in our city). The morning crowd was a much more subdued as we watched a fairly impressive parade of sponsor floats, motorcycles and support vehicles sail by before the flame. We were fortunate to wait with a runner, and to see the transfer from one torch to another. I even got my picture taken with the runner as he waited!

I know I am going to watch every moment of coverage of the Opening Ceremonies from Vancouver, especially the moment when that flame I saw run through Hamilton ignites the flame that begins the games. It’s a time when my great country gets to be showcased to the world and we will be proud!

I Am Grateful For My Family

I know a woman who recently lost her 39-year-old son to cancer. The really sad part of the story is that she hadn’t spoken with her son in over a year and was entirely shocked by the news of his death. This story evokes two feelings in me. One is compassion for the woman; the other is gratitude for the family that I am privileged to be a part of.

I have two brothers and a sister, and while we don’t always agree on everything, we value the bonds of family and interact with each other with respect and love. Together we’ve made the decision to take our father off a respirator, determined the treatment and care of our mother as she progressed through the stages of Alzheimer’s disease, emptied the contents of one house and two condos and shared the ownership of a family cottage. We’ve buried our parents and disbursed their estates with barely a squabble about how things should be done and who gets what.

This mutual respect and love we enjoy comes from our parents, who always strongly valued family and instilled in us the importance of remembering and honouring your roots. I’m thrilled to see that these values are finding their way to the next generation. Recently, we had a family dinner – just the four siblings, their spouses and their kids. Several of my nephews and nieces were excited to get together and, as you can see from the photo above, they had a great time together.

I realize that I’m very fortunate to have such a strong and united family. I don’t take it for granted and I cultivate it whenever I can.