Music

Much to be Thankful for.....

As October draws to a close, for me it is a month to reflect on all we have to be thankful for. Our family, our friends, our livilihoods, our homes and our freedoms. Whenever I am feeling sorry for myself, I realize how incredibly blessed that I was born here in Canada and not in a country of constant famine, disease and war, what makes us so fortunate while others are faced with the fear of unimaginable uncertainties each and every day? There is more to this life than making the ultimate salary, driving the best cars, going on the most amazing vacations, and living in exquisent homes. I'm embarrased to say that I have to remind myself of that from time to time. We all must do our part to recognize those in need ,we can all make a difference.

You choose your friends!

Who knew that at 8 years old I would be such a good judge of Character..... I was a really shy kid, so when I had to change schools 3 times in a 4 year time span, I know with each move I was terrified, thankfully our last move turned out to be the absolute best, on a bay loaded with kid's my age, kid's that were outgoing enough to pursue a friendship in me... The funny part to all of is that 37 years later many of these kid's on the bay and surrounding areas would still be an important part of my life today. There is something really special about growing from childhood to adulthood with the same friends, that bond is truly unbreakable. One of my girls once asked me if I had a best friend, I have some girl friends that I feel closer to than others , some that am in contact more than others but each friendship is a gift for many different reasons, I am blessed to have many "Best Friends" . I have the friendship with my sister, we share stories of family aggrevations , we support each others trials and tribulations, we plan special occasions and we share a special bond with each others children,ultimately we are blood. The years difference in our ages has been a factor for us that we are slowly bridging the gap, I hope that gap one day disintingrates . I have a friendship and a bond with my cousin, she was the Big sister I never had, When we are together, or exchanging e-mails there is a closness that is so special, despite the fact that we are miles away from each other. There are my Elementary school friends, we remain close to this day, along the way we added friends in Middle school and High school , parent council and through my 22 years working at Domtar/Norampac the circle of friends just grew. I feel blessed, My friendships make my life so much richer.

Summer is really coming!!

I have to say something very unexpected has happened to me, after years of being consummed with the lives of my girl's , they are now both becoming more and more independant, which gives me more free time. I have always loved birds (honestly I can't believe I'm actually admitting this after years of teasing my Mom about her joy in bird watching), when I was young, I spent alot of time chasing cats out of my parents yard, even if it meant jumping over my neighbors fense to free a robin from a cats grips , our back yard was a bird cemetary (for the less fortunate) Even our faithful dog Skippy was excellent at warning us of any feline intruders. I still try to protect the sparrows and Robins and bunnies from predetors, but now what I really enjoy is watching these birds in the yard, I love how the Robins work in twos, and watching the sparrows fill up at the bird feeder, It's great to be outdoors again.