Pledge of Hope

One of my favorite “givers” is Bill Gates.  He is, of course, the co-founder of Microsoft.  I have always admired Gates for his spirit of giving. My first introduction to his generosity was in the 1990’s when he donated computers to every library in North America (including Prince Albert’s library). He continued to give to many different charities and organizations over the years.

 

By now most of us have heard of his latest and most generous project in which he has pledged to give away at least half of his fortune, and he is inspiring other billionaires to give away some of their money! In 2010, Gates, his wife Melinda Gates and his friend Warren Buffet created a new organization called "The Giving Pledge". This exclusive club consists of only billionaires and they must pledge to give away at least half of their total wealth to charity during their life or after their death. The extremely wealthy in the USA are impressed, and this organization has received an incredible response.  After only three years in existence, The Giving Pledge now includes almost ninety families of billionaires!  Last week, Sir Richard Branson signed up and he has pledged to give away at least half of his vast fortune.  All indications are that he actually plans to give more than half away.  In recent months, George Lucas, Mark Zuckerberg and Ted Turner have made similar pledges.   With so many struggling families in North America, it is admirable that Gates and friends would help out in this unique and generous manner. By being very public about their donations, members of the Giving Pledge hope to inspire others to share their good fortune. They believe that when people know what others are giving, they are more likely to also give.  This is true of other billionaires, but the Giving Pledge hopes to inspire us all to donate what we can.  Big or small, every donation and act of kindness impacts the lives of others.

 

Bill Gates could have chosen live in his own world of comfort and excess, and to turn a blind eye to the hardship of others. It is interesting to note that he has fallen from number one to two on the Forbes List of Billionaires even though he continues to generate incredible wealth.  The reason Gates is no longer number one is because he has given away so much of his wealth. Imagine: in 2011, he literally gave away his title as the World’s Richest Man.  How refreshing and wonderful that he not only helps by donating half of his incredible wealth, but inspires other wealthy families to do so as well.  Gates and Buffet are now contacting  billionaires from other countries in the hope of having them join the Giving Pledge.  It will be interesting and exciting to see which billionaire is the next to sign up.  Bill Gates is an intelligent man with billions of dollars and a heart of gold who can talk the super rich into a super pledge.  One on the richest men in the world, he chose to share his wealth to help others, beginning in his own back yard.  It doesn’t get any better than that!  Sharing the wealth . . . it's a good thing!

The "Filler" Month

 

February   bears the distinction of being the cold month which simply marks the time between the dead of winter and the first inkling of spring. There is no aftermath of holidays, which we experience in January. There is not yet the great expectation, as in March, of wonderful spring weather just around the corner. It seemingly just exits as a filler between the changing of seasons. However, there are two days of "love" in this otherwise boring month: Valentine's Day and Family Day.  

What woman doesn't love Valentine's Day? It is a day in which the norm is flowers, chocolate and plush stuffed animals. It is the one day of the year when men feel they can wear their hearts on their sleeves and proclaim their love.  Couples feel free to spoil each other and enjoy the silly and wonderful little things that makes this day so special. 
 
Children love this day too.  Walk into any elementary school class room this week and you will see pink and red hearts decorating hallways and bulletin boards.  Of course, there is the exchange of valentines at the class party which makes this day so special to children.  I always enjoyed this tradition as a child and kept my valentines in a special folder for many years.  I think I probably still have it tucked away somewhere. 

While Valentine’s Day has been celebrated for many years, Family Day is a relatively new holiday.  It was created in 2007 as a way to fill in the long stretch between the January 1 holiday and Easter, and to encourage families to spend the day enjoying activities together.   Since it was proclaimed five years ago, it has grown each year as families take time to appreciate being together and doing things together.  Whether families  simply spend the day watching movies and enjoying a meal together, or spend the day outside sledding and skating, the time spent together helps to create a bond.  Families are creating memories which might not have happened if there was not a special day in February for doing so. 

I’ve come to realize how important it is to tell loved ones how you feel and to make sure they know.  No one ever hears the words “I love you” too often!  We are all fortunate to have people in our lives that we love and who love us.

By the end of this week, Valentine’s Day and Family Day 2013 will have come and gone.  I hope you spent Valentine’s Day this year with a special person who makes you happy; and I hope that on Family Day, you took the time to be with your family and enjoyed your day.  And I hope you told all of them how much you love them.   Enjoying special days with special people . .  . it’s a good thing!

A Second Chance

In my last blog update, I wrote about how many of my friends and family members have become grandparents for the first time.  That got me to wondering:  when did we become old enough to be grandparents?  When did that happen and why didn’t I see it coming?  How is it possible that one day our children are babies and then they are having babies of their own? Where did the time go?   I guess life happened and, just as every generation of parents before us, we were busy too living life to notice the years marching on.  Maybe that’s the real reason we are given the opportunity of becoming grandparents:  it is a second chance to slow down and enjoy the children in our family and to see life through the eyes of a child.

At family events over the past few years, I have realized that I am witnessing generational passages. Our children are graduating from high school and university, finding the love of their lives, beginning their careers, and having babies.  How wonderful to witness it all and now to be a part of the lives of their children, the next generation.   It seems like it was only yesterday we were holding our own children in our arms and now we are holding their children. Families grow, husbands and wives are introduced into and become a part of the family circle and new babies begin to appear. The next generation is on the move.  

How fortunate for us that we are given that second opportunity to really enjoy the lives of the children we love; and children are fortunate to have that unconditional and total love.  There is an immense bond between grandparents and their grandchildren.  Children often lament that their parents never let them get away with or do the things that they let their grandchildren do.  Perhaps it is because we have “mellowed-out” a little.  Perhaps it is because we know that in the blink of an eye, these precious little people grow up and begin lives of their own.

We will, no doubt, tell our new mothers and fathers to slow down a little and to take the time to enjoy their children however they will – like every generation before them – live busy lives  and suddenly find themselves with grown children.  But it’s all right, in twenty or thirty years, they too will get a second chance - when they have grandchildren of their own. Enjoying our time with our special little ones . . . it’s a good thing!

The Next Step

 

Just before I sat down to update my blog, a friend called me to share her exciting news: she had just become a grandmother that morning.  She breathlessly described her new grand-daughter as being the most perfect, most beautiful, most special baby ever born – although she had yet to actually meet her.  And, of course, that is the way it should be.  A grandparent’s unconditional love is a child’s most precious gift.

Another good friend of mine will become a grandmother in July. My sister became a grandmother a few months ago.  My brother now has four grandchildren.  Another friend relishes her role as grandmother to twins.  So many other friends and family members are entering this new world of grandparent-hood and the transformation is nothing short of amazing.

It is almost magical to watch the change which occurs when one goes from simply being a parent of an adult child to suddenly holding that child’s newborn baby and out of the blue realizing that THIS is the moment you have been waiting for all your life.  Any grandparent will tell you how amazed they are at the strength of the love they feel for their grandchildren from the moment they are born.  How often I have heard grandparents say “I didn’t expect to feel this way”.   Almost every new grandparent I have known has said it is not possible to imagine that feeling of holding your first grandchild, or how it changes your world.

This new little life can do no wrong, is perfect in every way and is so very much loved.  There is a special relationship between grandchildren and their grandparents, and it is created the moment the child is born. New grandparents marvel at the instant bond they feel, a bond which lasts a lifetime.  This bond and unconditional love is shared by grandparents and grandchildren everywhere. It is unique and it is wonderful. Witnessing – or receiving - this love is incredible just by the sheer strength of it. 

How fortunate these little grandchildren are to have grandparents who give them unconditional love, have time to spend with them and who make them feel so special.  Grandparents can kiss hurts away, share secrets and see to it that their grandchildren bask in their unquestionable and undeniable love. Most importantly, children know that in the eyes of their grandparents, they are perfect.

I read once that becoming a grandparent is God’s reward for growing old.  As I watch friends and family blossom in their new role as grandparents, and take this next step in life,  I think that this is indeed true.  Embracing life’s next step . . . it’s a good thing!

A Gal's Best Winter Friend

“Fill ‘er up?” The friendly gas attendant at my favourite filling station asks through frozen lips hidden behind a balaclava.  “Anything else I can do for you?” he asks.   I gratefully reply, “Maybe just some gas-line anti-freeze, please” to which I get the pleasant “You bet”, even as I notice ice crystals forming on his eye lashes.

This is a conversation which has, no doubt, taken place many times over the past couple weeks in Prince Albert,  as we experience a few of those never-ending days of deep cold.  On a bitterly cold winter day, when my gas tank hits the empty mark, I can think of no one I appreciate more than the friendly men and women who pump gas for me.  I have extended my appreciation to them other times in my column, but each cold snap reminds me how grateful I am.  As I dislike filling my own tank - even in pleasant weather - I always appreciate the employees at the filling station, winter and summer.  However, I am the most thankful when those arctic winds start blowing and the weather turns cold. It always amazes me how friendly and helpful the attendants are, even in frigid temperatures. They are great ambassadors for their employers. They always impress me with their smiles and pleasant personalities.  After all, I would let them pump my gas even if they were not nice to me!

I feel a little guilty when they find a moment to go inside to warm up while my tank is filling, and they stand by the door shivering from the cold, noses running and icicles forming from their eyebrows (but not guilty enough, obviously, to fill my own tank).  Even as they warm up, knowing they are heading back out into the cold in a few short minutes, they are still eager to carry on a friendly conversation, chit-chatting, fingers exposed through their flip-top mitts.  These are truly amazing people and we should not take them for granted.  If we do, we might have to brave the cold ourselves and pump our own gas.  I don’t know how many pairs of long johns, under-shirts, sweaters, gloves and scarves one would have to wear to be that happy working in cold weather, and I don’t want to know.  I am just grateful that someone else has figured out how to stay warm while handling a gas nozzle.

In these bitter days of cold weather, I extend a heartfelt thank you and offer up a high-five - through flip-top mitts, of course -  to gas attendants through-out Prince Albert for your much appreciated service and friendliness.  Who care about diamonds – you are a gal’s best friend!  Having friends you can count on to get you through the cold . . . it’s a good thing.

Happy New Year

 

As much as I love Christmas, once it is over I am anxious to have things return to normal.  Our tree is hauled away and all the ornaments and decorations are packed and put away before New Year`s Day.  It seems that once the big day is over, the things that were so beautiful the day before are now in the way and cluttering up the house. I carefully place each treasured ornament and decoration in its storage container, knowing I will enjoy them all over again next Christmas. Perhaps it is because New Year`s Day is all about a fresh start, new hopes and plans for the incoming year,  that I feel the need to clear the house of Christmas reminders.  Somehow it seems you shouldn`t start the new year by putting away last year`s decorations.  Maybe by doing this, it feels like two separate special holidays.  I guess I`m not really sure why I do this, but by the time we ring in the new year at our house, all evidence of Christmas is gone. 

I enjoy spending New Year`s Eve and day with family and friends.  There is no better way to welcome the new year than by spending it with people you love. Together, you say good-bye to the old year and share hope for the new year. 

2013 stretches out in front of us, a blank page not yet filled, full of promise and hope.  We make resolutions – some we keep, some are forgotten by the next day.  Each year we think this will be the perfect year.  And while each year may not be perfect after all, we need to reflect on and remind ourselves of all the good things in our lives.  We live in a country where we enjoy incredible freedoms and social programs, everyone has access to education and employment. We live in a society which, for the most part, values family and children.  We have relatively quick and easy access to medical help when we need it. We have time for leisure and to enjoy ourselves. We are so fortunate and rich in ways that people in many other countries can only dream about. 

            No matter how 2013 turns out, we should enjoy our good fortune and appreciate the many blessings we have. Be sure to make time to spend with family and friends.  Volunteer to help someone in need.  Make time for yourself.  Do the things you love to do. Sometimes we need to make our own happiness to have the perfect year.

            I hope you had a wonderful start to the new year with people you love and that 2013 brings you joy, happiness and health.  Starting off the year with a clean slate . . . it’s a good thing.  

The Magic

 

Christmas is my favourite time of year.  There is excitement in the air and goodwill.  I savour everything the season brings: the hustle and bustle of finding that perfect present, gift wrapping, decorating the house, trimming the tree and baking.  My favourite part of the holiday season is spending time with friends and family. Celebrating with the people I love has always made any holiday special, but is even more special at Christmas.  

This year, Christmas is more poignant, more precious because of the horror we have just witnessed when young children and their teachers were senselessly murdered in Connecticut.  I think we all feel the need to hug our children a little tighter and an increased, almost urgent desire to spend time with those we love.  As President Obama said, our hearts are broken for the families who will have a lonely holiday season and whose children they are no longer able to hug.  This tragedy has reminded us once again how fortunate we are to have family and loved ones to celebrate with.

  

This year more than ever, I will appreciate and enjoy the big, noisy family I share my holiday meals with.  I will listen with gratitude as laughter rings throughout the house while my heart will ache for those families whose homes are silent because their little one was so cruelly taken away.  How sad this Christmas will be for them, as will every other Christmas from now on.  

More than ever, I will enjoy that comfortable feeling that comes from being with family who know each other better than anyone else ever could – and still like each other!  I always marvel at the inter-generational exchanges and how age doesn't matter at a family gathering. We all have something in common: each other.  We are all so alike and yet so different from each other. That is the magic of family, and it becomes even more magical at Christmas.  The horrific event in Connecticut has taken away not only a family member, but the magic of the season for so many innocent families.  As you celebrate your good fortune with loved ones this season, take a moment to send loving thoughts to those who, rather than planning meals and opening gifts, are planning funerals and grieving.  And don’t forget to hug your children and your loved ones.  

To each of you, I offer my  best wishes for a very Merry Christmas.  May your holiday celebration be perfect and create wonderful memories to cherish for a lifetime.

Knowing how fortunate we are to have family and friends close by during the holiday season . . . it's a good thing.