This weekend we celebrate Thanksgiving, a time of the year that has always been special to me. Usually I find myself working out in the yard putting things away for the winter with plenty of time to think about life in general. This is going to be a very special Thanksgiving for many of us because things don’t appear to be going very well for a lot of people right now.

   The global recession has affected just about every aspect of society. The labour dispute between Vale Inco and the USW is making the recession even worse and could lead to serious financial distress for many families in the area. In particular, the strike which directly involves over 3000 unionized employees has resulted in thousands of additional layoffs and workforce reductions among the hundreds of mining service companies and retail outlets in the region. It is not a pretty picture locally this year, so a lot of us may not think there is much to be thankful for.
   Perhaps this weekend is coming at a good time. We all need to stop for a moment and take a good look at our own situation to see if it really is as bad as it looks. Admittedly, we may have to make some serious adjustments in our way of life for a while, but when it is all over maybe our priorities will have shifted and we will emerge from these difficult times with a new perspective on life.

   Let me share a story with you about an old man who showed up at the back door of the house rented by a couple of college students. This will give you a good example of perspective. As the students cracked open the door, they saw his that his eyes were glassy and his face unshaven. He said hello to them and offered to sell them some apples and oranges he was carrying in an old basket. Although they had all the fruit they needed already, the students made a purchase, mostly because they felt pity for the old man and partly because they were afraid of him.

   The visits became more regular. The students began to realize the glaze on his eyes was the result of cataracts, not alcohol. They became accustomed to sound of his shuffling feet every morning. Sometimes he wore mismatched shoes. He would often pull out a harmonica and begin playing sad, gospel tunes in the middle of conversations with the students.

The students realized that the old man didn’t have many friends. Perhaps they were the only people who paid any attention to him. He showed them the old shack where he lived and continued to sell apples and oranges to the students almost every single day.

   On one visit he said to the students, “What a day! I came out of my shack this morning and found a bag full of shoes and clothing on my porch.”

   The students celebrated with him, not letting on that it was they who had purchased the shoes and clothes and placed them on the porch as a gift. They wanted to remain anonymous.

“We’re really glad for you,” they exclaimed.

   Then the old man added, “You know what’s even more wonderful? Just yesterday I met some people who could really use them.”

   The old man taught the students something very important about life that day. No matter how little you have or how little you know, you still have something you can do for both yourself and for others. The old man enjoyed the life he was living and was grateful for the shoes, clothing and friendships he had with others. He was thankful for the opportunity to share his good fortune with someone less fortunate than himself.

   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 this very special 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”. Things will get better for everyone before long. The economy will improve. The labour dispute will end. And people will be back at work. I don’t think life will ever return to the same as it was before all of the troubles started, but that too may be a good thing.
   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.   

   If I had a dollar for every time someone came up to me and asked, “How are you enjoying retirement?” I might actually be able to retire! Even though I finished my formal career as a classroom teacher after 28 years in 2001, I would never say that I “retired” from teaching. I merely ended one part of my life and entered into a new stage, utilizing all of the skills that I had developed up until that point in time. I’ve moved in a different direction since leaving the classroom and have now established a private practice as an independent education, training and career development consultant. This is something that I can continue to do for the rest of my life and is something that I find very fulfilling and enriching. So for me, the word “retirement” has completely disappeared from my vocabulary. God willing I will remain healthy enough physically and mentally to work well into my 70’s or 80’s.    

   More and more we find ourselves running into someone we know who has begun a new career or a new hobby or opened up a new business at an age when most others would be thinking about retirement. The initial reaction to such news is often one of astonishment that the person would want to ‘waste so much time and energy’ during the final stage of his/her life instead of sitting back and soaking up the sunshine. Often it is easier for an older person to deny him/herself the pleasure of living out a dream rather than face the pressures from loved ones who provide all sorts of advice about ‘how to enjoy retirement’.

   Whenever you find yourself wondering if you are “too old” to begin something new, think about the following story about Rose. As you read it I think you will develop a whole new appreciation for older people who are living out their dream.

   The first day of school the professor introduced himself and challenged the students to get to know someone they didn’t already know.

   Jim stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched his shoulder. He turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at him with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, “Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”

   Jim laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave him a giant squeeze.

  “Why are you in university at such a young, innocent age?” Jim asked.

    She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel.”

   “No, seriously,” Jim asked. He was curious to find out what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

   “I always dreamed of having a university education and now I’m getting one!” she told him. After class Jim and Rose walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. They became instant friends. Every day for the next three months they would leave class together and talk non-stop.

   Jim was always mesmerized listening to this time machine as she shared her wisdom and experience with him. Over the course of the year, 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.

   At the end of the semester Jim and his teammates invited Rose to speak at their football banquet. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three-by-five cards on the floor.

   Frustrated and a little embarrassed, she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up drinking beer and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know”.   

   As we all laughed, she cleared her throat and began.” 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.”

She finished her speech by challenging each of us to live out these secrets in our daily lives.

   At the year’s end, Rose finished the university degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation, Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand university students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

   The next time you find yourself wondering if you should work at fulfilling a dream of yours, remember what Rose said to the football players. “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.

  William James, one of the founders of modern psychology, said "The greatest discovery of this generation is that a human being can alter their life by altering their attitude."

  What James said over a century ago applies just as much today as it did then. Each day we wake up in the morning, we choose our clothes, we choose our breakfast but, most importantly, we choose our attitudes.

   In his book, The Power of Attitude, author Mac Anderson told the story about his experiences while going into a convenience store to get a newspaper and a pack a gum.

   The young women at the check-out counter said, "That 'll be five dollars please." As he reached into his wallet, the thought occurred to Mac that a newspaper and gum didn't quite make it to five dollars.

   When Mac looked up to get a "re-quote", she had a big smile on her face and said, "Gotcha! I got to get my tip in there somehow!"

   Mac Anderson laughed when he knew he'd been had. She then glanced down at the paper he was buying and said, "I'm sick and tired of all this negative stuff on the front pages. I want to read some good news for a change."

   She then said, "In fact, I think someone should just publish a Good News newspaper - a paper with wonderful, inspiring stories about people overcoming adversity and doing good things for others. I'd buy one everyday!"

   She then thanked Mac for coming in and said, "Maybe we'll get lucky tomorrow; maybe we'll get some good news," and she laughed. She made Mac’s day.

   The following day, after his business appointments, Mac dropped by the same store again to pick up a bottle of water, but a different young lady was behind the counter.

   As he checked out he said, "Good afternoon," and handed her the money for the water. She said nothing - not a word, not a smile...nothing.  She just handed Mac his change and in a negative tone ordered...."Next!"

   Two people, same age; one made Mac feel great, and the other, well, made him feel that he had inconvenienced her by showing up.

   That story simply proves that by the choices we make and by the attitudes we exhibit, we are influencing lives every day .in positive or negative ways...our family, our peers, our friends, and even strangers we’ve never met before and may never meet again.

   Last week a friend and I had a breakfast business meeting at a local restaurant where we were served by a young girl who was very much like the second girl in the story. She never once smiled, was very abrupt, and made us feel as if we were bothering her by coming to the restaurant for something to eat.

   For the rest of the week I paid particular attention to young people I met who were working at a variety of jobs serving the public. Some were full of enthusiasm about what they were doing. They exhibited a healthy zest for life that was contagious and you felt good about meeting them. I also came across far too many others, who seemed to truly hate what they were doing and did nothing to hide their feelings from customers.
   As a “Professional Career Coach” I try to impress upon young and old that attitude is everything in the world today. Regardless of how you feel about your job or your career, you must maintain a positive attitude and demonstrate it in all of your dealings with people. It is the little things that count and that get noticed by others. This is a lesson that you must learn if you want to succeed in life.

   I’ll never forget the advice that my youngest son, Marty, received from Dave Newell, the former supervisor of referees for the National Hockey League. Newell told Marty that when he evaluated referees he always looked for little things that demonstrated the official had a positive attitude. He looked at how clean the referee’s uniform was. How the referee stood by the boards, not leaning, but standing with authority. He looked at the facial expressions when the referee talked to the players and how they listened to the players. He looked for signs of how the referee showed respect for the players and also looked for signs of respect ‘from’ the players. But most of all, Newell told Marty that he looked at the referee’s skates. If the laces were white and didn’t show any ‘ring marks’ or signs of damage and if the skates were clean and free of scuff marks, then Newell stayed to watch the rest of the game. He felt that a referee’s skates were a sure sign of the referee’s attitude and if he couldn’t care less about his skates, then he wasn’t worth watching. Marty took Mr. Newell’s advice. Today Marty is a referee in the Ontario Hockey League and has often been told that he “looks” like a referee. That he is a natural. It is all about attitude.

   This coming Sunday, June 21, 2009 will be the 35^th Father’s Day I have celebrated as a father and the 4^th as a grandfather. Once again I expect to be spending a good part of the day in quiet reflection about the tremendous responsibility I took on when I became a father for the first time. I will have to once again have to admit to myself that I wasn’t always as good a father as I should have been.
  
   Unfortunately fathers are not always completely sensitive to the needs of our children. Most of us would never do anything to deliberately hurt our children, but sometimes we just don’t realize how our actions or inactions are being perceived by our sons and daughters.

   For example, I cringe every time I read the story of Howard, a man who thought he was in tune with the times. When his four-year old son David acquired a taste for “The Three Little Pigs” and demanded that his father read it to him night after night, Howard took action. He purchased a child’s easy-to-use tape recorder and read the story onto tape for him.

   The next time David asked for the story to be read, Howard switched on the recorder. David was fascinated at the novelty of his father’s voice reading his favorite book from a ‘machine’. The following night when he asked for “Free Li’l Pigs”, Howard went a step further. He showed David how to work the playback on the recorder for himself.

   This makes me think of the methods I too tried to employ to find ways of keeping my own kids busy so that they wouldn’t bother me. And then I continue reading the story and I find out that the following evening, when David arrived and pushed the storybook at him, Howard said, “Now, David, you know how to turn on the recorder.” He smiled and said sweetly but insistently, “Yes.” Then he added, “But I can’t sit on its lap.”

   Just this past weekend, Hailee, my five year old granddaughter, who I am coming to realize has already given me more insight into life than anyone else I have ever known, interrupted me while I was working in the yard and asked me to take her for a walk down the street. As I spent the next unplanned sixty minutes away from my “urgent” yard work to look at familiar scenery along my street though the eyes of a child, I thought about one afternoon about 25 years ago when I was raking leaves in the back yard.  My three sons were playing soccer on the grass and then decided to jump on the piles of leaves that I had worked so hard to rake up. As I turned to scold them for messing up my leaves my wife stepped forward to take a few pictures of them playing and tossing the leaves into the air. It was a reminder that my wife and I were not put on earth to keep our yard clean. We were put here to raise children. We still have the picture of the boys playing in those leaves. It is hanging up in the house where I can see it every day to remind me about my true purpose in life.

   Finally, I would like to share a little story that has always been one of my favourites. It is about two little boys whose father had promised to take them to the circus that afternoon. They had been ready to go for over an hour and were only minutes away from leaving the house.
  
   As planned, Dad came home from work early that day, right after lunch and quickly changed into casual clothing. Then, just as the three of them were about to leave the house, the phone rang.
  
   The boys listened intently as their father talked with the person at the other end of the line. Bit by bit, their faces began to fall. This was obviously a business call, and some urgent matter was requiring their father’s attention back at work.
  
   Disappointment rolled into the room like a dark cloud. Their mother also overheard what she thought was the inevitable change of plans, and looked consolingly at her sons. She went over and stroked their hair, hugging them closely to her sides. She knew how terribly disappointed they would be when her husband got off the phone.
  
   And then, to the surprise of everyone, they heard Dad say, “No, I won’t be coming back in today. It will just have to wait until the morning.” Hanging up the phone he called for the boys to meet him at the car as he turned to kiss his wife good-bye. She smiled and with a twinge of fear that he may have made the wrong decision, she said, “The circus keeps coming back, you know.”
  
   The father replied, “Yes, I know. But childhood doesn’t.”
  
   I didn’t get a chance to finish my yard work that Saturday afternoon when Hailee dragged me away for a walk. At the time the yard work didn’t seem all that important.  I knew it could wait until the next day to get done.  But the chance to go for a walk down the street hand-in-hand with my five year old granddaughter may never come again. I missed too many of those moments with my own children and I don’t intend to miss them as a grandfather.

   There are not many things you can be certain about in the world around us today. Just when you think you have things figured out something happens to add to the confusion. However, there is one thing you can be absolutely sure of time and time again.  That one thing is that in order for you to be successful in anything of importance in this life, you must have personal passion and an undying commitment to an ultimate goal or vision. Vince Lombardi, a Hall of Fame NFL football coach best summed it up when he said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
  
   Walt Disney, one of the most famous dreamers who ever lived said, “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

   Most people fail to achieve their goals, not because they are lazy or lack self-motivation, but because they were never fully committed to succeed in the first place. All of the people who achieve great things begin with a plan of action and then an unshakable commitment to its accomplishment. It is commitment that makes the difference between success and failure.

   I’ll never forget a story I read about ancient Greek warriors. These warriors developed a tremendous reputation for bravery and an unshakable commitment to victory. The Greeks were master motivators and their leaders had discovered a powerful strategy that instantly infused a spirit of commitment in the heart of every warrior.

   Whenever they had to go into battle, the Greek commanders would arrive at the shores of their enemies and lead their warriors on to the land to prepare for battle. Then the commanders would give their first order, “Burn the boats!” 

   The Greek warriors would look back at the sight of the burning boats and any thoughts of surrender were quickly erased from their heads. As they watched their boats burn and sink into the water, they knew there was no turning back. The only way home was through victory. They could not retreat, so defeat was not an option. There was no turning back! This was commitment.

   Whenever I head into a new venture, I too have learned to give myself the command to “Burn the Boats!” I don’t allow negative thoughts, fear, anxiety or self-doubt to enter into the picture. I have always said that whatever I get involved in; there is only one goal – to be the best – second best is not an option. It’s all the way or no way!  I have witnessed the same level of passion and commitment in many people I have come across over the years. So have you. And I am sure that when you meet someone with that kind of commitment, you know it!     

 The other morning I was sitting at my computer in the office, looking out the window at the bright blue sky and watching the birds enjoying a meal at the feeder which hangs from my soffit. I had just arrived back home from helping my granddaughter get on her school bus and found myself reflecting upon the event.
  
   There was nothing unusual about the occasion. It goes on each and every morning at hundreds of bus stops in the community as parents and caregivers make sure children get a safe start to the day. Nevertheless, as I watched my fragile five year old granddaughter struggle up the stairs of the bus with her school bag strapped to her back, I was overcome with a tremendous sense of peace and fulfillment. At first you might think, “He was only helping a little kid on to a bus. What’s the big deal?” But let me explain.
  
   Many years ago I decided that I would adopt the "What if this is the last time..." philosophy of life. I discovered that this approach to life enables me to adopt a healthy perspective on all events that take place in my life. Admittedly, it is difficult at times to maintain this philosophy of life, and every so often I find myself regretting some action or comment that I have made. At those times I say to myself, "What if this is the last time I ever see that person? Is that how I want to be remembered, or how I want to remember him/her?"
  
   That morning, after I saw Hailee step on to the bus and stood there watching as it pulled away down the road, I walked back to the house feeling pretty good. If anything tragic happened to me today, I knew that I had enjoyed my last experience with my oldest granddaughter. I also knew how excited she was to have Grandpa bring her to the bus and saw her smile back at me as she took her seat. I was at peace. She was happy. It was a perfect moment.
  
   I then walked back to the house and saw that Hannah, my three year old granddaughter had a sad look on her face. She was disappointed that Grandpa hadn’t hugged her before taking Hailee to the bus stop. I was only gone for a few minutes, but for Hannah, if that had been the last time she ever saw her Grandpa it would have left a very sad, lasting memory. As I looked upon her sad, drooping face I felt as if a knife had gone through my heart. How could I hurt this innocent little princess? I held out my arms and gave her a long, warm embrace, apologizing for making her feel sad. Then she smiled and was happy again as she kissed me good bye. I then turned to my grandson, six-month old Baby Cade, and spent a few moments making him laugh and smile at me before leaving.
  
   When I pulled out of their driveway, I realized that if this was the last time my grandchildren ever saw me, it was exactly the way I would want to be remembered. For me, no matter how much turmoil was going on in the world, my world was perfect – exactly as it should be.
  
   As I gazed out my window that morning I couldn’t help thinking about what a wonderful world this would be if everyone treated each other as if it might just be the last time they would ever see each other. Imagine how your approach to life would change if you adopt this philosophy of life. Imagine how much more at peace you would be with the world in which you live. You can change your approach to life if you really want. It just requires a few simple choices.
  
   For example, when you tuck your child in tonight, ask yourself what you would do differently if you knew this might be the last time you ever saw your child fall asleep. Would you give him/her an extra hug? Would you take a few extra minutes to lie quietly beside your child? Would you be in such a hurry to get back to the living room to watch your favourite television show or to clean up the kitchen?
  
   When you leave for work in the morning, if you knew this might be the last time you ever said good-bye, would you get up a few minutes earlier so that you would have time to say good-bye to everyone and wish them all the best for the day? Would you say, "I love you" one extra time to your spouse? Would you get upset because your favourite shirt wasn’t ironed? Would you smile and wave as you were pulling out of the driveway?
  
   When you have an argument or disagreement with a friend, a co-worker, or a loved one, if you knew this might be the last time you would see that person, would you make an extra effort to solve the problem before you left and not let the problem linger and fester? Would you apologize for your actions or comments before you left? Would you roll over and go to sleep at night knowing that you have upset your spouse if you knew this was going to be the last time the two of you ever spoke to each other?
  
   As I get older and wiser I find myself accepting that tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Today may be the last day of your life or the last day in the life of a loved one. You may never get a second chance to say "I love you"; to spend time with your children or grandchildren; to spend time with your spouse; or to spend time with your parents.
  
   So if you are waiting until tomorrow to do something special for a loved one, why not do it today? If you want to say you are sorry for something you did, why not say it today? If you have been trying to find time to make that phone call or write that letter, why not do it today? For if tomorrow never comes, you will surely regret that you didn’t take the extra time.
  
   Have a good week!

   “Your education is what you are left with when you forget what you were taught.”
 
   When I heard the above quote on a television show recently,   I immediately thought back to the beginning of my career as a teacher and recalled how excited I was to finally have an opportunity to ‘teach’ children. In my new, extended “career” as a tutoring agent, I have had the opportunity to meet many wonderful young men and women who are currently attending Teacher’s College and I can sense that same level of excitement among them. They have not yet begun their careers, yet they seem so energized from the anticipation of how they imagine it to be. It is most refreshing to see this kind of enthusiasm and passion.
 
   It reminds me of a story I once heard about a group called “The Fisherman’s Fellowship”. 
 
   This is a story about a group of men were surrounded by streams and lakes full of hungry fish, but not one of them had ever gone fishing.
 
   They met regularly to discuss the call to fish, and the thrill of catching fish and eventually they really got excited about fishing! Something like I felt about teaching when I first started out in my career. Something I am sure that students in Teachers’ College today can identify with.
 
   Someone in the group suggested that they needed a philosophy of fishing, so they carefully defined and redefined fishing, and the purpose of fishing. They developed fishing strategies and tactics. Then they realized that they had been going about it backwards. They had approached fishing from the point of view of the fisherman, and not from the point of view of the fish. How do fish view the world? How does the fisherman appear to the fish? What do fish eat, and when? These are all good things to know. So they began research studies, and attended conferences on fishing. Some travelled to far away places to study different kinds of fish, with different habits. Some got PhD’s in fishology. 
 
   But no one had yet gone fishing.
 
   So a committee was formed to send out fishermen. 
 
   Since the prospective fishing places outnumbered fishermen, the committee needed to determine priorities. A priority list of fishing places was posted on bulletin boards in all of the fellowship halls. 
 
   But still, no one was fishing. A survey was launched, to find out why. Most did not answer the survey, but from those that did, it was discovered that some felt called to study fish, a few to furnish fishing equipment, and several to go around encouraging the fisherman. What with meetings, conferences, and seminars, they just simply didn’t have time to actually fish.
 
   One day, Jake, a newcomer to the Fisherman’s Fellowship was so moved by a stirring meeting that he actually went fishing. He tried a few things, got the hang of it, and caught a nice fish. 
 
   At the next meeting, Jake told his story, and was honoured for his catch. He was then scheduled to speak at all of the Fellowship chapters and tell how he did it. Now, because of all the speaking invitations and his election to the Board of Directors of the Fisherman’s Fellowship, Jake no longer had time to go fishing.
 
   But soon, Jake began to feel restless and empty. He longed to feel the tug on the line once again. So he cut the speaking, resigned from the Board of Directors and said to a friend, “Let’s go fishing.” And they did. Just the two of them, and they caught fish.
 
   The members of the Fisherman’s Fellowship were many, the fish were plentiful, but the fishers were few.
 
   Every time I read this story I hear the same message. If we want to keep the excitement in teachers, maybe we should just let them teach. Forget about all of the curriculum reviews, certification courses, professional development programs, provincial testing and just let them teach! Let them organize meaningful experiences every day for the children in their class and let us focus more on what they will be left with when they forget what we taught them in their individual lessons.
 
   Personally, I can’t remember what my primary grade teachers taught me when I was learning to read. I don’t remember the specific lessons. But I love to read! And I love working with numbers! I don’t remember what I was taught, nor do I remember the marks I received on my report cards. I love reading, mathematics and I love learning. I also love helping people become successful.  I am without question, the result of the thousands of lessons during which I was taught content and material that I no longer remember. At the end of the day, however, it doesn’t matter what the curriculum guides said or what I was taught. What does matter how I’ve turned out as a person. This is what education is all about and it is why I find the statement below so fascinating.
 
   “Your education is what you are left with when you forget what you were taught.”
 
   And so, during this Education Week 2009, let there be time for all teachers and parents to reflect upon their own “education” and deliver the really important curriculum. Give children lessons in life that will stay with them forever. Use the curriculum and the content of your lessons to reinforce the “education” that they will be left with long after they forget the lesson they were taught.
 
   My wish to all teachers is simple. Think about Jake and the Fisherman’s Fellowship whenever you feel overwhelmed and overloaded with paper work and reports. Put everything aside for a day and spend it with the children. Rediscover the excitement and passion which first brought you to this profession. Just for a change, go and teach the children with no thought about evaluation, special needs or reports. Be with the children and give them an education.
 
   Have a good week!

   Unfortunately, many people have had their dreams dashed as a result of the deep recession the world is experiencing today. You may know of family and friends who have been so affected in some way.
 
   Some have lost their jobs and must now look into a different career route to get back on their feet. They have to start all over again and may even have to go back to school for re-training. Others have seen their life savings devastated as a result of investments that have tanked. Retirement plans may have to be revised because of this. Others still may soon be forced to give up their large homes, sell their vehicles and may even face bankruptcy because of a debt load that is too hard to handle.
 
  The truth is that even when the economy was in good shape during the past several years, there were still many unhappy people in our society. In fact many people have always been unhappy because of disappointment in the size of their house, their income level, their family relationships, their physical appearance, their jobs, and the list goes on and on.
 
   Look around you today and you will quickly see for yourself. Perhaps you can even look in the mirror. Everywhere you look you see the strained faces of people rushing through life in a constant struggle to either get ahead or stay afloat. Personal debt levels have risen to an all-time high as people use their credit cards and borrow money to ‘buy their dreams’. Others are just scraping by, hoping to survive the next financial disaster that comes their way.

   It often makes me wonder what happened to our childhood dreams. You know the one where you lay on the cool grass looking at the clouds floating by, dreaming about how your life would be when you grew up.
 
   Life can hardly be called a dream today, no matter what your situation may be.  Certainly there are moments when we can forget about our problems and enjoy peaceful times with the ones we love, but then there are many other times when we find ourselves wishing for that lottery win; that big gain in the stock market; or that big break which will allow us to buy a bigger house and the car of our dreams.

   Every time I begin to wonder about the dreams I had as a young boy and even as a young man, I think of the story about a boy who said to God, “I’ve been thinking, and I know what I want when I become a man.”

   He proceeded to give God his list: “to live in a big house with two Saint Bernards and a garden; to marry a blue-eyed, tall, beautiful woman; to have three sons, one who will be a doctor, one a scientist, and one a professional hockey player. He also wanted to be an adventurer who climbed tall mountains, and to drive a red Ferrari.

   As it turned out, the boy hurt his knee one day while playing football. He could no longer climb trees, much less mountains. He married a beautiful and kind woman who was short with brown eyes. Because of his business, he lived in a city apartment, took cabs, and rode subways. He had three loving daughters, and they adopted a fluffy cat. One daughter became a nurse, another became an artist, and the third a music teacher.

   One morning the man awoke and remembered his boyhood dream. Even though he was quite happy and satisfied with his life, he suddenly realized how differently his life had turned out and he became extremely depressed, so depressed that he became very ill. Close to death from a broken heart, he called out to God, “Remember when I was a boy and told You all the things I wanted? Why didn’t you give me those things?”

   “I could have,” said God, “but I wanted to make you happy.”

   God’s answer to this man reminds us that true happiness comes from accepting the life with which we have been provided and by living that life to the fullest. Happiness does not come from big homes and fancy cars. True happiness comes from your attitude towards your own unique situation in life and the relationships you develop with the loving people around you.

   I will always remember the birth of our first son. The lady in the bed beside my wife had just given birth to her first child as well... a beautiful, healthy baby girl. However, her husband was absolutely distraught. He wanted a son so badly that he wouldn’t even hold his daughter when he came to visit. I even brought him a gown one evening, hoping that he might hold his marvellous daughter. Yet, he still would have nothing to do with her. The mother was so depressed that she even asked my wife if they could trade her daughter for our son.

   Here was a time in this young couple’s life when they should have been so happy with their first born, and yet, because of their ‘dream’ of having a son, they couldn’t see the happiness.  I suspect that one day she and her husband too will look up to God and ask why He didn’t make their dream come true.

   I wonder how many of us will also look up to God and ask why he didn’t make our dreams come true. Perhaps we will all be surprised when he answers, “Because I wanted to make you happy.”

   I am a firm believer that a person’s life is the sum total of his/her experiences – ALL of his/her experiences. For example, there are a lot of things that have happened to me during my lifetime that I wish would have turned out differently. However, when I examine my situation today there are so many positive things that I wouldn’t give up for the world.
 
   I am sure that there are certain parts of your own life today that you are extremely satisfied with and which you would never want to change. And yet, if we truly believe that a person’s life is the sum total of his/her experiences, then you must also accept that everything positive about your life today is the result of a unique blend of the good, the bad and the ugly that has happened to you as you travelled along your own personal journey. You got over the difficult times and were able to overcome your challenges to enjoy the good things today.
 
   At the same time, if there are things you don’t like about your life today, then they too are the result of your past experiences. Perhaps you exercised bad judgement in some of your previous choices that are coming back to haunt you today. For example, you may be happy and successful in your career, but you may be overweight and out of shape. If you had followed a disciplined exercise program and ate a healthy diet you may have found yourself not only happy and successful in your career but you would also be in good shape and healthy.
 
   Therefore, if we accept the fact that our life is the sum total of all of our previous experiences, and if we also accept that we may have been able to eliminate some of the negative aspects of our life by making better choices along the way, then we have to wonder why so many of us are engaging in practices and activities today which we know are negative and will actually hurt us in the future.
 
    I have also noticed over the years, and I am sure you too may have noticed this about yourself or the people with whom you have contact, that many people appear normal and well adjusted on the surface as long as things are going along well for them. It is only when they face serious challenges in their life that their true character emerges and we begin to see what they were made from all along. I think the best way to explain what I mean is by sharing a story with you called, “The Sponge”.
 
   One day a family of five decided to each clean a different area of the home. They each took a sponge, did the cleaning, and then placed the sponges back on the kitchen counter top. The sponges all looked the same after the cleaning. 
 
   Later that day a visitor came along who was curious as to what was cleaned in the home, but couldn’t tell by looking since the sponges all looked the same. So, in order to satisfy his curiosity, he decided to squeeze each sponge to see what came out.
 
   When the first sponge was squeezed, some milk came out, so the visitor decided that someone cleaned the kitchen with that one.
 
   Upon squeezing the second sponge, he found tub and tile cleaner and concluded that this sponge was used to clean the bathtub.
 
   The third sponge produced motor oil when squeezed, so obviously, someone was cleaning the garage.
 
   In the fourth sponge, baby powder came puffing out when it was squeezed, which meant that the baby’s nursery was done with that one.
 
   And finally, in the last one was floor wax, which was used on the hall floor.
 
   As the visitor lay down the last sponge, he again remarked at their similarity. He pointed out that they all look the same until they’re squeezed. It is only when they are squeezed that you can find out where they’ve been and what is inside of them.
 
   People are the same way.
 
   As we encounter the wide variety of events in our journey through life, we too are squeezed just like the sponge and different things come out. Some people get angry; some seek revenge; some shed tears; some laugh; some look upon life as wonderful; others have a negative view of everything; some show their love for one another; others think only of themselves.
 
   The main lesson of this story is that as individuals we must all remember that we are not much different from a sponge. We can only squeeze out what is put in. As babies, we are born into this world empty. We are like a new sponge. As we go through life, our ‘sponge’ is filled with things that we absorb through experience.
 
   If we look for the good in others and try to carry a positive attitude around with us wherever we go, then as life squeezes us we will have a better chance of coping. If we are constantly finding fault with others and forever look for excuses for our behaviour, when life squeezes us we may not like what comes out.
 
   When you line people up side by side, they all look similar. Just as it is with the sponges on the kitchen counter, you don’t know where they’ve been or what they’re made of until you squeeze them. Once squeezed, the secret is out. You can rest assured that on the journey of life we will all be squeezed many times. All we can do is make sure that what we put into our life is what we want to come out whenever we are squeezed.
 
   Have a good week!

   I don’t get much of a chance to read poetry, but I came across one recently that was written by a wise old person who goes by the name of Hafiz. The poem is called, Gifts, and it speaks about the potential we all have when we first come into this world.
  
There are so many gifts
Still unopened from your birthday.
There are so many hand-crafted presents
That have been sent to you by God.
The Beloved does not mind repeating,
“Everything I have is also yours.”
There are so many gifts, my dear,
Still unopened from your birthday.
  
   Hafiz was of course referring to the fact that all children are given magnificent birth-gifts – talents, capacities, intelligences – that would remain unopened were it not for their own decisions and efforts as they make their way through life’s journey. At birth, we have no idea about the potential of a child. The possibilities are endless.
  
   And yet, even though every parent who has ever held a newborn baby acknowledges the potential of their child, it saddens me to know that there is a lot of truth to what Buckminister Fuller said in one of his books, “All children are born geniuses; 9,999 out of every 10,000 are swiftly, inadvertently degeniusized by grownups.”
  
   I witnessed my own children grow and develop into adulthood, each one making choices that have shaped their destiny, and I continue to watch as they make more choices in adulthood that will further determine their journey in life. William Jennings Bryan, an American politician and diplomat who lived from 1860 to 1925 said it best when he stated that “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.”
 
   Author Marianne Williamson expressed how we are often fearful of our own capacities. She writes “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
  
   And so I find myself looking at my grandchildren and wonder how the choices they are about to make in their lives will shape their destiny during the years to come.
 
   I look at the people I meet in my own travels and wonder what choices they have made to bring them to the place they are at right now.
 
   And I have come to realize that the most important gift we are given as human beings when we are born into this world is the freedom and power to choose.
 
   Steven Covey states in his book, “The 8^th Habit” that “next to life itself, the power to choose is your greatest gift.” He goes on to explain that “Your power to choose the direction of your life allows you to reinvent yourself, to change your future, and to powerfully influence the rest of creation. It is the one gift that enables all the gifts to be used; it is the one gift that enables us to elevate our life to higher and higher levels.”
 
   I have often found tremendous motivation and personal courage from the words of Covey as he states, “This power of choice means that we are not merely a product of our past or of our genes; we are not a product of how other people treat us. They unquestionably influence us, but they do not determine us. We are self-determining through our choices. If we have given away our present to the past, do we need to give away our future also?”
 
   And so I leave you with a thought I have every time I find myself in a situation with which I am not totally satisfied or fulfilled. I remind myself that I am a product of choice. I am where I am because I so choose to be there. In other words, I am responsible for my current situation. I cannot blame anyone else if I am not happy. If I am not satisfied with my current situation, then I can choose otherwise.
 
   The challenge I make to all of my readers today is to acknowledge and recognize that you are without a doubt a product of every single choice you have made in your life to date. If you have indeed given away your present to the past, then make a decision to take back your future. Do not be afraid of the power you have within you to achieve dreams you thought were out of reach. And by all means, make sure that you pass this message on to each and every child you encounter along the way.
 
   Always remember that you can achieve anything you want in life if you have the courage to dream it, the intelligence to make a realistic plan, and the will to see that plan through to the end. Make a choice today that will allow you to experience the future like never before.
 
   Have a good week! 

   My wife and I were watching a documentary on TVO recently that was originally intended as a warning about the consequences of rising oil prices. We both watch CNN quite a bit, so the comments being made by the experts didn’t seem that outrageous, considering the global economic crisis we are experiencing in all corners of the world today. After a few minutes I clicked the information button on the converter to see the description of the program and was amazed that the show was produced in 2005.

   We continued to watch in total amazement at the incredible predictions that these people were making. Much of what they said back in 2005 is actually happening today as the global economy comes crashing down around us. They said the world couldn’t maintain for much longer the level of consumerism to which we had all become accustomed. The accelerating consumption levels of energy needed in order to satisfy the insatiable materialistic desires of people around the globe for was taking us down a slippery slope to certain disaster, according to these experts. They predicted that the oil producing countries would continue to increase the cost of oil as demand increased, creating a ripple effect that would result in the escalation of the cost of living to the point where one day people would run out of money and they would no longer be able to access credit to buy the things they wanted. Eventually people would stop buying and the economy would come crumbling down around us. They warned that the “global economy” and our growing dependence on foreign trade would become our Achilles tendon that would bring everything to a screeching halt.

   The experts back in 2005 were trying to warn us about what was to come, but we didn’t take the time to listen. We were too busy travelling down the wonderful road of life in our own little world of greed and consumption until the storm hit us and washed out our road. We are now faced with the daunting task of building a bridge to a better road before we can continue on our life journey. The fact that it took such a drastic event to make us sit up and take notice reminded me of the situation in which the main character of the following story found himself. See if you can see the similarities on a global scale.

   AOne day a successful executive was travelling down a neighbourhood street going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars as he drove along, when all of a sudden, a brick smashed into the Jag=s side door! He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, AWhat was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?@

   Building up a head of steam, he went on, AThat=s a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?@

   APlease, mister, please. I=m sorry, I didn=t know what else to do,@ pleaded the youngster. AI threw the brick because no one else would stop...@ Tears were dripping down the boy=s chin as he pointed around the parked car. AIt=s my brother,@ he said. AHe rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can=t lift him up.@

   Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, AWould you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He=s hurt and he=s too heavy for me.@

   Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief to clean the scrapes and told the boys everything was going to be okay.

   AThank you,@ the grateful child said to him. The man watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward his home. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

   As I speak to people during my daily travels I am finding that many of us feel just like the driver of that Jaguar. We have been all so busy accumulating and consuming with little regard about how long the “gravy train” was going to continue. We buried our heads in the sand, pretending that we could go on like we had forever, yet knowing that the end would surely arrive one day. We just were not prepared for it to hit us so quickly and so drastically.

   What has happened to the world economy today is very much like the brick hitting the Jaguar. We have all been shocked back to reality. We needed to be reminded to slow down. We needed to be reminded that the most important things in life are not things at all but the relationships we develop and how we treat our friends, neighbours and family members. 

   It is time for each of us to seriously consider the steps that are necessary to recreate our own life. We will have to take on a whole new approach to consumerism. We are entering a world in which discretionary spending will be limited. We will have to learn to use our limited financial resources to purchase the things we really need. The things we “want” may have to wait. Hopefully, we will emerge from this experience as a much more compassionate and caring people, where our priorities in life are not determined by greed and consumerism but rather by our need to be loved and to love the people who are important in our life.

   We will build that bridge and we will be allowed to continue on our journey, but it will be a much different road than the one we were on before.

   The Valley East Community Development Initiative was launched on Friday, February 6, 2009 by a group of business persons who attended a special meeting held at the Grill Marks Bistro, Golf & Conference Centre. I had the privilege of organizing and chairing the event and can honestly say that I came away from the meeting full of hope and excitement about the future of Valley East as a growing community.
 
   The stage was set right from the beginning when the following question was put to the group. “There are five birds sitting on a telephone wire. One decides to fly away. How many are left?”
 
   While there are several obvious answers you may come up with, the correct answer is five (5). Read the question again and you will see that it did not say that one bird actually “flew away”. The information you are provided with is that one bird merely “decided to fly away”. In fact, deciding to fly away and actually flying away are two completely different things.

   There is a life lesson for us all within this riddle. It is that you’ll never get where you want to go in your life until you point yourself in the right direction, jump off the wire, and flap your wings. Just deciding what you want to do is not enough. You must take action that is consistent with your desired goals.

  We referred back to this story about the birds several times during the course of our meeting at Grill Marks as we considered a variety of interesting ideas and options that would help improve our community. We all realized that if we are going to meet the goals and objectives of the Community Development Initiative, we must make sure that this was not just going to turn into another  group of people from Valley East getting together to come up with more “ideas”. It was evident that we needed to point ourselves in the right direction and then “jump off the wire” to make it happen. After all, in the end, it’s not our goals that determine our success or quality of life. It’s the results of our actions upon which we will be judged.
 
   The main purpose of holding the meeting in the first place was to explore the feasibility of developing a strategic plan of action that might create an effective communication network which will enable residents of Valley East to become much more aware of the tremendous benefits of living in Greater Sudbury’s most progressive community. The Community Development Initiative will not only result in a greater degree of community spirit, it will also stimulate economic growth among goods and service providers operating in Valley East .      

   The ultimate goal is to help connect the schools, churches, groups, organizations and clubs that are currently involved in their own special events and activities during the year. We want to create awareness of the “big” picture to capture the full magnitude and scope of what Valley East has to offer its residents.
 
   The truth is that Valley East has an enormous number of activities going on at any given time during the course of the year! When you put it all together there is no other town that could possibly offer such a wide & diverse variety of opportunities for the benefit of people of all ages and backgrounds. It is our belief that once people become fully aware of the whole picture our community pride and community spirit will reach fantastic new heights. This will surely result in Valley East becoming even more attractive to newcomers who are seeking a place to buy or build a new home in the Greater Sudbury Area, thus stimulating our local economy even further.
 
   I am proud to say that this small group of individuals decided to do more than just come up with ideas. We actually jumped off the wire and are providing another opportunity for people from the community to come together and talk about this extremely important initiative.
 
   The next meeting will once again be held at the Grill Marks Bistro, Golf & Conference Centre at the top of the hill in Val Caron. It is open to everyone interested in helping make the community the best it can be. This includes all residents, all business owners and professional service providers; teachers and parent council reps from schools; and representatives of churches, organizations, clubs and service groups operating in Valley East . We want you to share your ideas with us or just be there to listen to what others have to say. Your attendance at the meeting will say a lot.

  On behalf of the rest of the people who were part of the first meeting, I am extending an invitation to all of my readers to make a special effort to join us at the next meeting. You even have your choice of two times. For people who prefer evenings, you may attend on Thursday, March 5, 2009 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A second meeting will be held the following morning, Friday, March 6, 2009 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for those of you who cannot make it in the evening. Advance registration is not necessary. Just drop in and listen or share your thoughts. There is no charge to anyone to take part in this initiative. We just want you to show up and provide your input as we determine the next steps in the Valley East Community Development Initiative. Mark the date and time in your calendar right now so you don’t forget.

   The next time you have a chance to watch people surfboarding, either in real life or on television, spend some time observing them and perhaps you will get some insight into what is happening in our world today.
  
   The surfboarders all go out on their boards and wait for a wave. Some of them sit on their board waiting and waiting for just the right wave. A few of them end up sitting there all day and never get a chance to surf because the wind dies down before they find what they are looking for.  Others take whatever wave comes along and just get up and ride. The ones who get up and ride every wave they can sometimes end up with a weak wave and their run is soon over. Others get on a wave that is too large and they are unable to stay up, crashing to the water after a while. And then there are the ones who get up on a wave and ride it with precision and skill all the way to the shore. For them, that is the moment they were waiting for. Everything comes together just right and they experience the thrill of a perfect ride. Spectators on the shore as well as fellow surfers on the water look with envy at the surfers who can stay up on their wave and ride it out with so much skill.
  
   The truth of the matter is that the surfer who finds just the right wave and rides it to perfection may not even have been the surfer with the most experience or talent. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time and took advantage of getting up on the wave. He RODE THE WAVE that was provided. He did not create the wave.
  
   And so it is with most successful people in the world today.

   We often look up to highly successful business people or athletes as if their “surfboards” were making the waves they rode. They know, and we often overlook, that they’re just riding the waves of circumstances and situations that came their way. They have taken advantage of the opportunities that crossed their paths and have made the best of it.
  
    For example, Bill Gates is recognized as one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. Do you think Bill Gates “created his own wave”?
  
   The personal computer age really took off in the mid-70’s. Bill Gates and his partner, Paul Allen both dropped out of university to write software programs and form their own little company that they called Microsoft. There were many people like Bill Gates who also, around that time, began computer companies. And, like Bill Gates, most of them were born in the mid-50’s.  Bill Gates was born in 1955. Paul Allen as born in 1953. They were born in the right place at the right time.
  
   Bill Gates and Paul Allen, along with several other famously successful people in the computer industry, were no different from all of the others who started up similar businesses. In much the same way as the surfboarder who rode the wave perfectly and captured the attention and admiration of all on shore for his demonstration of skill wasn’t the only one on a board waiting for the right wave to come along, Bill Gates was the one who ended up on just the right computer wave at just the right time.

   If Bill Gates would have been born in 1951 or 1959, would he still have been as successful? Would he still be one of the richest men in the world? Not likely. Someone else would have seized the opportunity and taken hold of it. That someone else would have been ready to get on the perfect wave when it came and Bill Gates wouldn’t have been there to take advantage of the momentum. Bill Gates didn’t create the computer revolution. He was in the right place at the right time and was able to use his personal skills and talents to maintain his balance and make all the right moves. The rest is history.
  
   The secret of success is to be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. Just like the surfer – when a wave comes along, you must be ready and have the courage to get up and ride it. It just might turn out to be the wave you were waiting for all along. If not, then get up on the next one and ride it. One of these times you will end up on the right wave and you will be successful. Don’t be like the surfboarder who simply sits on his board on the water passing up wave after wave waiting for the right one to come along. When a wave comes – get up! When an opportunity comes along – get up!

    We are all sent many opportunities in our life. The secret to success is to take advantage of those opportunities and “go along for the ride”. It may not be the one were waiting for, but unless we get up and try, we’ll never know what might be in store.
  
   The Prep School that Bill Gates went to was one of the few schools in the nation that had one of the first computers. If he had gone to a school that didn’t have a computer he may never have even become interested in them. And he was born at just the right time. What if he would have turned down the request of his partner and stayed in school to graduate from Harvard instead of dropping out to form a company? We’ll never know because Bill Gates was satisfied in “riding the wave” of opportunity and rode it successfully.

    Everyone knows that this is not going to be one of the most prosperous years we’ve ever experienced. The truth is that we are trapped in one of the worse recessions in recent memory and just about every segment of the community is being affected in some way by the global meltdown. It may be hard for us to think positive at a time like this, but whenever I find myself drifting off into “negative-thinking mode” I take out my favourite quote by Winston Churchill as he explained the difference between a pessimist and an optimist. He said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
 
   While it is true that we may be living in a particularly challenging time, consider how the following story demonstrates that there are always two ways of looking at any given situation – even if that situation appears on the surface as if things couldn’t get any worse.
 
   As the story goes, a shoe company sent two representatives to a remote island in the tropics where people don’t wear shoes. Now imagine yourself working for a company that sells shoes and how you would feel if you were sent to an island where people don’t wear shoes.
 
   One of the reps called the boss the day he arrived on the island and said, "Boss, I need to come home. People don't wear shoes here".
 
   The other rep also called the boss the day he arrived and said, "Boss, send the entire warehouse. I need to stay for one more month. People don't wear shoes here."  
 
  Both reps arrived on the island at the same time and both witnessed the exact same conditions. However, one of them saw a tremendous opportunity to make sales because none of the potential customers were wearing shoes. He took that the position that since not a single person was wearing shoes, they were all potential customers in that they could all use shoes. That was the optimistic point of view and he was very excited about the prospects.
 
   The other rep, on the other hand, took the pessimistic point of view and concluded that the situation was futile. He assumed that since none of the people were wearing shoes at the time, there wasn’t any sense in even trying to sell them shoes. Which of the two reps best describes how you view adversity and challenges?
 
   And so, today, we find ourselves in the middle of what experts are calling a global downturn in the economy. International companies are shedding jobs and closing stores all over the world. Consumers have cut back on spending to try to avoid going further into debt and this change in spending habits is simply making the situation worse for retail companies and manufacturers. It is getting so bad that many people are refusing to watch the news or read daily papers because all they hear is more doom and gloom.

   I have to admit that over the last few years I have officially become a CNNite. I imagine that there are many others like me who tend to spend many hours each week tuned into the American news channel CNN to get caught up with the latest “Breaking News”. For the past several months the focus has obviously been on how Barack Obama has come to lead us all to the Promised Land. The whole thing has been awe inspiring and of a magnitude that this world has never seen.

  While at first this may seem completely unrelated, but  all of the hype over Obama and his inauguration actually reminds me of the time I saw a mother and her three-year-old daughter walking in the parking at the shopping centre one day. The little girl was holding on to a string that was attached to a helium balloon. It looked like a birthday balloon. It was quite windy so I imagine you can guess what happened next. Yes. A gust of wind pulled the balloon from the little girl’s hand and carried it high into the air. I felt so bad for the little girl. Then I noticed that she wasn’t crying or screaming. Her mother wasn’t admonishing her over having lost a balloon that must have just cost a few dollars. Instead the little girl just stood there watching the balloon go skyward. She tugged on her mom’s arm and said, “Wow Mom. Look at it go!”  The two of them watched the balloon dance higher and higher until it could no longer be seen. Then they walked the rest of the way to their car, absolutely ecstatic at having experienced such a wonderous moment and smiling as they described how amazing it was to see their balloon fly away like that.
 
   It made me realize that there are so many wonderful things that happen in our lives for which we should feel blessed and for which we should take time to enjoy the moment. Sometimes these things appear at first to be negative, but upon closer examination and upon accepting that nothing much can be done about it, one may as well simply find something to enjoy about the experience. For example, standing in a long line at the grocery store gives you time to talk to the people in line with you. Usually we are too rushed to give each other the time of day. A snow storm may confine people to their homes, but it gives everyone time to be together and perhaps play a few games to pass the time away. When the computer is broken it gives you time to relax with a book.

   Even though we may complain a lot about high gas prices, low wage increases, or high taxes, there is still so much to be thankful for in our life. The truth is that there are a lot of people in the world who would trade places with us in an instant, even with all of the things that are wrong with Canada and Greater Sudbury.
 
   For example, if you woke up this morning in good health, you are in much better shape than the one million people around the world who will die of sickness and disease before the end of the week.
 
   If you can attend church without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
 
   If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of this world!
 
   If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world’s most wealthy people.
 
   No matter what you thing about the current condition of your home or apartment, 80% of the people in the world who live in substandard housing would love to trade places with you.
 
   Approximately 50% of the people in the world suffer today from malnutrition. Would they appreciate what you have in your fridge right now?
 
   And so, I think back to my time in front of the television set tuned in to CNN last week. I think about a section of Barack Obama’s inaugural speech that very few news people have commented about.  Obama said, “To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.”