I thought about the time spent walking around the store with Hailee and her class, looking at all of the things that she had seen hundreds of times before, and yet, I could sense that it was different this time for her, together with her classmates, holding her Grandpa’s hand.
 
   Hailee didn’t seem to mind as much as I did that the tour took so long before we finally sat down in the community room and were given the pumpkins to carve. Her Grandpa had never carved a pumpkin before, so thankfully her teacher, Mrs. Renee Brunet gave us a hand.
 
  
   I thought about how proud Hailee was as we entered the bus again to go back to Jean Paul II, with her pumpkin in a plastic bag and how excited she was that Grandpa was going to drive her home when we arrived at the school. She was going home early with Grandpa because this was a special day – she was going to get a new brother that day.
 
   I thought about the look on her face as she was seen by all of the other children walking hand-in-hand with her Grandpa to his truck to go home. She waved to them with a pride that only a four-year old with her Grandpa could understand.

   I thought about our ride home and how she sat there quietly, holding her pumpkin and grinning from ear to ear. What was going through her mind on this very important day in her life?
 
   I thought about spending the entire afternoon at the hospital with my wife, waiting for Angele to deliver the baby, and how I then had to leave at around 5 p.m. to go back and baby-sit Hailee and her sister, Hannah. After all that time waiting at the hospital I was not even going to be around at the time of birth.
 
   I thought about how excited the girls were when Grandpa arrived to finish giving them dinner and to stay with them.
 
   I thought about how their faces lit up with joy when the phone call finally came that evening from the hospital and they spoke to their mother who announced the arrival of their baby brother, Cade. I know now how fortunate I was to be with them to witness their joy at the news of the birth.
 
   I then, for a brief moment, thought about all of the things that I didn’t get done that day. Things that I had to reschedule for another day.  And then, as I drifted off in one of the most peaceful sleeps I have had in a long time, I realized that I will always remember October 24, 2008 as one of the best days of my life. Thank you, Hailee.
 
   Have a good week!

   Whenever I come across that story I am reminded that no matter how complicated or challenging life may seem at times, true happiness and fulfillment is still just a matter of following some pretty simple principles.  I mean, how much more basic can you get. “Life always gives you back what you give out. Your life is not a coincidence, but a mirror of your own doings.” It is as simple as an echo. Whatever you put out, you get back.
 
  I also like reading reflective quotes about life and I would like to share some with you right now. I’m not sure where this came from, but it is something I enjoy reading from time to time. It is called “Things I’ve Learned During My Life…”
 
   1.   I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
 
   2.   I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. 
 
   3.  I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she handles these three things: a rainy day, long grocery check out lines, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
 
   4.  I've learned that regardless of the differences you have with the people in your life, you'll miss them when they're gone.
 
   5.  I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."
 
   6.  I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

   7.  I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands.  You need to be able to throw something back.
 
   8.  I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
 
   9.  I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
 
   10. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.  People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
 
   I’m sure that you can come up with many more statements of your own to continue the above list. But there is one more that I’ve saved to the last because it is truly my favourite one of the entire bunch. Point number 11 in the list is, “I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.” Perhaps that is one of the true benefits of growing older. You come to realize that no matter how much you’ve learned about life, there is still so much more to learn and that is what makes life so fascinating.
 
   Have a good week!

  As I was watching the commercial I thought about the thousands of children who were going to be thrilled to death when they receive their letter from Santa. The good people at Canada Post who are taking care of this initiative must get a great deal of satisfaction from knowing how much happiness they are spreading.
  
   That night I opened up my emails and discovered that my good friend, Cecile Coutu, had sent me another one of her special stories. Perhaps it is because I have a four-year old granddaughter just like the little girl in the story you are about to read. Perhaps it is because I have always owned a dog and understand how much it hurts when you watch your pet get sick and die. Perhaps it is because I had just watched one of those Canada Post commercials. Whatever the reason, I was deeply touched by the story and felt that I just had to share it with my readers.

   Understand that in most post offices around the country there is usually something called a “dead letter office or box” where letters that have no discernable address end up. I suspect that there are postal workers just like the one in this story who end up going through some of the letters to see if there is any way of delivering them to the proper recipient.
  
   This story is about a 14 year old dog, Abbey, which died after a long illness. The day after she died, the dog’s owner, 4 year old Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed her dear pet. She asked her mother if they could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. Meredith’s mother agreed to the request and wrote down the words that were dictated by her daughter:

Dear God,

   Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
   I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

   Meredith and her mother put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith, and addressed it to God, Heaven. They put their return address on it.
  
   Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. Her mother told her that she thought He would have received it by then.
  
   The next day, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on the family’s front porch addressed, 'To Meredith'.

   Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter that Meredith and her mother had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith as well as this note:
 
Dear Meredith,
 
   Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
   Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
   Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
   Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.
   I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love, God 

  This apparently is a true story. It is definitely one of the kindest things I have ever read about.  No one knows who wrote the letter, but there is no doubt that whoever it was, God was certainly part of her life.
 
   Have a good week!  

   However, because of the mounting opposition, measures were taken to downsize the original plans and thus reduce the projected cost to $110 million. This, it was felt, would be far more acceptable to local ratepayers.

   All of this reminded me about a story that I like to use when I want to demonstrate how very important it is for people to do the best they can in everything they do in life. I have always believed that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing right.

   The story is about an elderly carpenter who was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife so that he could enjoy more time with his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.
 
   The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
 
   When the carpenter finished his work the employer- contractor came over to inspect the finished product and handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."
 
   What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
 
    So when I examined the new cost proposals for the “downsized” Multi-Use Recreation Centre, I couldn’t help but think about that poor old carpenter. I couldn’t help but think about all of the young children living in Sudbury today and even those have not yet been born. I even thought about those proposed projects as I held my newborn grandson, born a mere three days after the City Council meeting during which councilors voted 7 to 6 against the projects. Instead of maintaining the original plan of building a facility of which we could be proud for decades to come and which would better satisfy our needs both today and in the future, our “city planners” decided to put saving money ahead of quality. In order to do so they decided to take away a full ice pad; take away the swimming pool; move the facility to a less desirable location; and downsize the structure in many other ways. In other words, instead of having a Multi-Use Recreation Centre that would fulfil all of our dreams and desires, we would be forcing future generations, including my tiny grandson and his sisters to “settle” for a building that was much less than they deserve.
 
   No matter what your opinion may be about the “legacy projects”, most of you will undoubtedly agree that when it comes to a Multi-Use Recreational Centre or a Performing Arts Centre, if we ever decide to build them, we should do it right the first time and make sure that they are buildings in which we will be proud to live for a long, long time. If they are worth doing at all, they are worth doing right. This is a philosophy of life that we should all continue to promote in everything we do.
 
   Have a good week!

   I recall reading an article one day that referred to a speech that was made to a graduating class by a valedictorian who was 87 years old. At the age of 84, this courageous woman, named Rose, decided that before she died she wanted to realize a life-long dream of earning a degree. Contrary to the advice of her family and friends who told her that it was ridiculous for a woman her age to go through all of the trouble of getting a degree which she would never use in a career, Rose persisted and four years later, she graduated. 
 
   During the course of the four years, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
 
   When it came time to graduate, Rose was the unanimous choice of the class to give the valedictorian speech. She stood up in front of them, cleared her throat and gave her fellow classmates some of the best advice they ever received.  

   “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success.

   First, you have to laugh and find humour every day.

   Second, you’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it.

   Third, there is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.

    Finally, have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”

   So the next time you find yourself wondering if you should work at fulfilling a dream of yours, remember what Rose said to her graduating class. “It’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.” A year from now you will still be a year older. Take advantage of all the opportunities that come knocking during the next twelve months.

   Have a good week.

   Admittedly, it isn’t really fair to compare grand parenting with parenting. In the role of parent we find that we are consumed with career development; with keeping a healthy relationship with our spouse; with raising our children; and with all of the other pressures that face young adults. No wonder most of us find it extremely difficult to “slow down” and truly appreciate life during this parenting period. However, there are certain critical points in your life when you suddenly come face-to-face with the reality that the most important things in your life are not things at all. What really matters are the relationships you have with your loved ones. For me, one of those moments of awareness took place when I became a grandparent for the first time and I found that my whole approach to the world around me changed.
 
   The other night, after the radio show, I was reflecting upon some of the things Kevin and I discussed and my thoughts turned to a story I once read called “The Hymnbook”, written by a man named Arthur Bowler. I would like to share it with you at this time.
 
  Mr. Bowler wrote about an incident that occurred during his childhood. “I watched intently as my little brother was caught in the act. He sat in the corner of the living room, a pen in one hand and my father’s hymnbook in the other. As father walked into the room, my brother cowered slightly. He sensed that he had done something wrong. From a distance, I saw that he had opened Dad/s brand-new book and scribbled across the length and breadth of the entire first page with a pen. Now, staring at my father fearfully, he and I both waited for his punishment.

   My father picked up his prized hymnal, looked at it carefully, and then sat down without saying a word. Books were precious to him. He was a pastor and the holder of several degrees. For him, books were knowledge, and yet, he loved his children. What he did in the next few minutes was remarkable.

   Instead of punishing my brother; instead of scolding or yelling or reprimanding, he sat down, took the pen from my brother’s hand and then wrote in the book himself, alongside the scribbles John had made.

    “John’s words in 1959, age two. How many times have I looked into your beautiful face and into your warm, alert eyes looking up at me and thanked God for the one who has now scribbled in my new hymnal? You have made the book sacred, as have your brothers and sister too so much of my life”

   Wow, I thought. This is punishment?

   From time to time I take a book down—not just a cheezy paperback, but a real book that I know I will have for many years to come—and I give it to one of my children to ‘write’ their names in. As I look at their artwork, I think of my father, and how he taught me about what really matters in life: people, not objects; tolerance, not judgement; and love, which is at the heart of a family. I think about these things, smile, and I whisper, “Thank you, Dad.”

   People, tolerance and love—the things that really matter in life. Parents have an awesome responsibility to help their children grow up to show respect to others and to behave in a socially acceptable manner. We also have a responsibility to demonstrate by example how to treat all people with tolerance and love.

   Have a good week!     

   1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.

   2. Page yourself over the intercom but don’t disguise your voice. See the reaction.

   3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

   4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it “In”.

   5. In the memo field of all of your cheques, write, “For smuggling diamonds.” 

   6. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

   7. Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat. Remember to keep a serious face.

   8. Specify that your drive-through order is “to go”.

   9. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.

   10. When money comes out of the ATM, scream, “I won! I won!

   I’m sure many of you have other ideas that would produce the same results as the above. If you have any you would like to share, please send them to The Vision and perhaps I can publish “List #2” before Christmas.

   The bottom line is that life is too precious to take seriously all the time. It is important for all of us to have a few healthy strategies for dealing with day to day stress. Every now and then we just have to do something that keeps people on their toes. Ask your waitress how much your next pizza costs per square inch. The next time you are walking on a busy street corner stare into the sky and see how many others do the same as they walk by.  The next time you are in a crowded elevator, face the back instead of the door. Just remember that there is nothing wrong with “keeping people guessing about your level of sanity.” It makes life a whole lot more interesting.
 
   Have a good week!

    On their return from the country, the father asked his son how he liked the trip. The son replied, “It was great, Dad.”

   “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked.

   “Oh, yeah,” said the son.

   “So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.

   The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our back yard and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve each other. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them.”

   With this the boy’s father was speechless.

   Then his son added, “Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are.”

   I love this story! It reminds me of the number of times I have been guilty of overlooking all of the good things I have in my life and instead concentrating on what I don’t have? I’m sure this applies to all of my readers in some ways.
 
   We’re obviously aware that one person’s worthless object is another’s prize possession. Just look at the yard sales in the summer. Thousands of people go from one yard sale to another finding treasures that others are willing to part with. Value is all based on one’s perspective.  In the story, the father thought he was the rich person with all that his wealth could buy. However, in the eyes of his son, the family on the farm had things that were of immense value. They were the wealthy family.
 
   This weekend I am going to spend a few moments in quiet reflection about what is truly important to me. I extend an invitation to all of my readers to do the same. Make a list of all the things in your life that you could live without. Be honest and true to your self. For example, if, for some reason, you were taken off the face of the earth today, what would you miss the most?
 
   We have all accumulated many possessions over the years, but when all is said and done, I think you will discover that what you would miss the most are not things at all. You will miss the people in your life and the loving relationships you developed most of all. The expensive cars, clothes and houses will mean nothing when you look back on your life. What you will miss the most are your loved ones. The people who truly care about you and the people with whom you look forward to sharing your precious moments on this earth.

   And so as we head into Thanksgiving Weekend, let’s all take a little bit of time to look at the things in our life that others would consider valuable but for which we may have long taken for granted. Let’s also spend some time looking closely at the people around us and see what “makes their life so rich”.
 
   Above all, let’s all show appreciation for the parts of our life that we would miss the most if they were taken away from us. And let’s tell the people who are closest to us just how much we appreciate their love.   

   Have a good week!

   We spoke a lot about the positive things that Valley East has to offer to all age groups from all walks of life. In my attempt to try to define what it is specifically that makes Valley East so attractive, I simply had to tell Max that our greatest strength as a community is that we allow everyone living here to “define themselves”. In other words, we don’t force people to fit into any one particular life style.  We allow people to develop their own personal identity and character in a very comfortable, secure and accepting environment.

   Valley East is a great place to raise a family; a great place to start a business; a great place for finding satisfaction in recreational, cultural or sports fields; in other words, it is a great place to grow and develop, regardless of your personal preferences or goals. Growth also means progress. If you are looking to improve yourself spiritually, intellectually, psychologically, socially, culturally, physically – or in any other way you can think of, Valley East will offer you that opportunity to achieve your goals and dreams.

   Moreover, Valley East is a place where you can grow and discover your own passions in life without feeling that you are being forced to conform to a pre-determined “identity”. Valley East therefore is a community of individuals, each with the freedom to develop their own particular personality. That is in fact our true identity! Valley East is a community that doesn’t define the individuals who live here; the individuals who live here define Valley East !
 
   After we finished our interview, I hung up the phone and recalled a story I like to tell young people who feel that they can find something better than what Valley East has to offer.
The story is called, “The Golden Windows”.
 
   There was once a young boy living on a farm which seemed like it was so far away from everywhere. He needed to get up before sunrise every morning to start his chores and then go out again later to do the evening ones. During sunrise he would take a break and climb up on the fence so in the distance he could see the house with golden windows. He thought how great it would be to live there and his mind would wander to imagine the modern equipment and appliances that might exist in the house.
 
   "If they can afford golden windows, then they must have other nice things too." He promised himself that some day he would go there and see this wonderful place for himself.
 
   Then one morning his father told him he could take the day off and stay home to play while his father did the chores around the farm. Knowing that this was his chance, he packed a sandwich and headed across the field towards the house with the golden windows.
 
   As the afternoon went on, he began to realize how he had misjudged the distance, but something else was also very wrong. As he approached the house, he saw no golden windows, but instead a place with a broken down fence. He went to the tattered screen door and knocked. A boy very close to his own age opened the door.
 
   He asked him if he has seen the house with the golden windows. The boy said, "Sure, I know." and invited him to sit on the porch. As he sat there, he looked back from where he just came where the sunset turned the windows on his own home to Gold.
 
   The message in this story is pretty clear. Regardless of your age or personal circumstance, what appears in life to be "golden" is sometimes just an illusion. You may not realize it, but there are a lot of things about living in Valley East that people in other places would love. To them, you are the lucky ones. You have everything they are looking for - all you have to do is look at things the right way.
 
   In the story, the first boy saw the sun reflecting on the distant windows each morning. To him, that was the place where all the riches lie. To the other boy, who saw the sun reflecting on the first boy’s windows as the sun set in the evening that was where the riches must surely lie. It’s all a matter of perception.
 
   I want to thank Max for contacting me by phone last week and helping me see my own “golden windows” right here in Valley East .      

   Have a good week!

   It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. The old man’s beard was glazed by winter’s frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid north wind.

  He heard the faint, steady rhythm of approaching hooves galloping along the frozen path. Anxiously, he watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first one pass by without an effort to get his attention. Then another passed by, and another. Finally, the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue. As this one drew near, the old man caught the rider’s eye and said, “Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn’t appear to be a passageway by foot.”

   Reining his horse, the rider replied, “Sure thing. Hop aboard.” Seeing the old man was unable to lift his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman dismounted and helped the old man onto the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his destination, which was just a few miles away.

   As they neared the tiny but cozy cottage, the horseman’s curiosity caused him to inquire, “Sir, I notice that you let several other riders pass by without making an effort to secure a ride. Then I came up and you immediately asked me for a ride. I’m curious why, on such a bitter winter night; you would wait and ask the last rider. What if I had refused and left you there?

   The old man lowered himself slowly down from the horse, looked the rider straight in the eyes, and replied. “I’ve been around these here parts for some time. I reckon I know people pretty good.” The old-timer continued, “I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no concern for my situation. It would have been useless even to ask them for a ride. But when I looked into your eyes, kindness and compassion were evident. I knew, then and there, that your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need.”

   Those heartwarming comments touched the horseman deeply. “I’m most grateful for what you have said,” he told the old man. “May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.”

   It made me feel special inside to know that out of all of the other people in the hallway that day, a stranger ‘knew’ that if she stopped me I would likely help her. She felt confident enough to step forward and reach out to me – none of the others. For the remainder of the day I kept thinking about what the old man had said in the story, “When I looked into your eyes, kindness and compassion were evident. I knew, then and there, that your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need.” I hope I never lose that look of kindness and compassion. Nor do I ever want strangers to feel uncomfortable about approaching me for help.
  
   As you go about your business the rest of the week, use your eyes to talk to the people you meet. Show them that you care, even if ever so slightly. The person at the counter of the corner store; the carry-out person at the grocery store; the parking lot attendant; and any other person, young or old, male or female, who happens to cross paths with you for any reason, are all just “friends you have not met”. Show them with your eyes that you respect them and make them feel like they too have met a new friend. Make them understand that you “welcome the opportunity to give them assistance in their time of need.”

   Have a good week!

   George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming circumstance for what they are. I do not believe in circumstance. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstance they want and if they can't find them they make them."
 
   I once heard a motivational speaker named Bob Proctor explain that, “Successful people use circumstances to catapult them on toward their goal, while the masses use them as road blocks. A circumstance may cause a detour in your life but you should never permit it to stop you.”
 
   Over the years I can honestly say that the greatest obstacle to achieving success for many people I came in contact with came down to the use of the circumstances of their life as an excuse for not following their dreams. And yet, I have also witnessed many people turn those very same circumstances around into something positive and find ways to accomplish their goals. It all boils down to the making a simple decision. You just have to set your goal and then find a way to get it done.
 
   The first thing I do when I have an opportunity to work with young students in high school, college or university is ask them to describe what they would like to do with their life after they finish up with their formal education. It is imperative that they choose the type of career they would like to pursue so that they have something on which to focus.
 
   I learned long ago that no matter what your age, or what your situation in life, if you don’t have a goal, nothing else matters. It’s like saying that you want to go on a vacation but you don’t know where you would like to go. Once you decide where you want to go it is easy to determine what you must do to get there. Without a destination you can spend the entire trip traveling in the wrong direction and be further away from your eventual destination.
 
   It’s the same way with ev