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Don’t
Throw Away That Old Paper Bag Full of Treasures…
Editorial by Robert Kirwan
A few weeks ago I decided that it was time
for me to reorganize and get rid of some of the junk I
had accumulated over time - things I haven’t used or
even seen in years. I’m sure many of you understand
what I was going through. Every now and then we all get
the urge to simply unclutter and create space.
I
started with the shelves in the garage and soon came
upon an old box that at first glance looked like a
collection of odds and ends that one would simply
classify as junk. However, as I picked up each item,
giving serious consideration to tossing it in the
garbage pile, I found myself unable to part with it. For
you see, each item contained memories of experiences and
treasured moments spent with my children as they were
growing up. After a couple of hours looking over the
memorabilia and replacing each one back into the box, I
realized this was an impossible task.
I
gave up and went into the house where I searched out a
story I once read written by Robert Fulghum about his
seven year old daughter, Molly.
It was
Molly's job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag
each morning before he headed off to work. One morning,
in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a
second paper bag. This one was worn and held together
with duct tape, staples, and paper clips.
"Why
two bags" Fulghum asked.
Molly
answered. "Just some stuff. Take it with you."
Reluctantly,
Fulghum stuffed both sacks into his briefcase, kissed
Molly and rushed off. At
midday
, while hurriedly downing his real lunch, he tore open
Molly's bag and shook out the contents: two hair
ribbons, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a
pencil stub, a tiny sea shell, two animal crackers, a
marble, a used lipstick, a small doll, two chocolate
kisses, and 13 pennies.
Fulghum
smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean - into
the wastebasket - leftover lunch, Molly's junk and all.
That
evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper.
"Where's
my bag?"
"What bag?"
"You
know the one I gave you this morning."
"I
left it at the office. Why?"
"I
forgot to put this note in it," she said.
"And, besides, those are my things in the bag,
Daddy, the ones I really like - I thought you might like
to play with them, but now I want them back. You didn't
lose the bag, did you, Daddy?"
"Oh,
no," he said, lying. "I just forgot to bring
it home. I'll bring it tomorrow."
While
Molly hugged her father's neck, he unfolded the note
that had not made it into the sack: "I love you,
Daddy."
Molly
had given him her treasures. All that a 7-year-old held
dear. Love in a paper sack, and he missed it - not only
missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket. So back
he went to the office. Just ahead of the night janitor,
he picked up the wastebasket and poured the contents on
his desk.
After
washing the mustard off the dinosaurs and spraying the
whole thing with breath-freshener to kill the smell of
onions, he carefully smoothed out the wadded ball of
brown paper, put the treasures inside and carried it
home gingerly, like an injured kitten. The bag didn't
look so good, but the stuff was all there and that's
what counted.
After
dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in
the sack. It took a long time to tell. Everything had a
story or a memory or was attached to dreams and
imaginary friends. Fairies had brought some of the
things. He had given her the chocolate kisses, and she
had kept them for when she needed them.
As I
finished reading the story, I realized how important
that box on the shelf in my garage was to me.
I began to think of all the times in my life when
I must have missed the affection I was being given.
Moments I must have just thrown away like
dinosaurs and chocolate kisses wrapped in an old paper
bag, each day, each a tiny treasure that could have
found their way to the box in my garage. I
guess this is what it means to be standing knee deep in
the river and dying of thirst.
We
must all remember that it's not the destination that
counts in life - it's the journey. The journey with the
people we love is all that really matters. Such a simple
truth so easily forgotten.
I’ll never get rid of that
box.
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ROBERT KIRWAN'S
FOOD FOR THOUGHT |
For a
complete selection of stories and editorials that will
help you to reflect upon life's priorities, inspiring
you to take on the daily challenges you face very day... |
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Free Bus Transportation
From Capreol to Desjardins' Food Basics Begins Today
Tuesday
July 11
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Ken
Desjardins, owner of Desjardins' Food Basics begins his twice
monthly free bus transportation program from Capreol to his grocery
store. Beginning today, Tuesday, July 11, 2006, on the 2nd and LAST
Tuesdays of each month, a bus will bring shoppers to his grocery
store, absolutely free of charge. With the closing of their grocery store in
Capreol scheduled for the end of this week, there will be many people who will have difficulty finding
transportation to do their shopping, so Ken has decided to extend
this free bus service indefinitely. The bus will pick up at the
Capreol Curling Club at
10
a.m.
From there it will proceed to the C.N. Yard,
Dennie
Street
,
Coulson
Street
,
and then make one stop at
Christa
Court
in Hanmer, before arriving at Desjardins’ Food Basics at
approximately
10:30
.
The bus will depart from the mall at
12
noon
,
returning to the same stops. This will give people 90 minutes to do
their shopping. Once again, this service will begin on July 11 and
July 25 and will continue on the SECOND and LAST Tuesdays of every
month. |
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Capreol Freshmart Expected To Close
Its Doors Forever on July 15 |
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The Capreol Freshmart
Store, a landmark which has stood since 1929, will close its doors for
good on July 15.
As a special tribute to the store, we have prepared a photo tour of the
inside and outside of the facility. The photos will provide memories of
what was once a very proud grocery store.
Follow the link below to look at the photos:
Capreol
Grocery Store
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Don't
Forget To Try Out Your Combinations At Local Business
Establishments. It Could Win You A Trip To Cuba! |
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Valley East Lions' Charity
Days
Want to send you and a guest on an all inclusive
Trip for 2 to CUBA!!!!
(+$500 in spending cash) |
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As was announced in The Vision Paper on July 5, from now until September 9th, 2006,
a number of Valley East
businesses, merchants and organizations will be giving random
combination codes to their valued customers. There are 5000 codes available.
There are 16 combination locks located in various
stores/businesses. If you receive an envelope containing a
random combination, please bring it to those locations where
locks are located. If your combination opens one of the locks,
CONGRATULATIONS! You've made it one step closer...
On September 9th, 2006, all lucky winning combination
holders (remember there's only a maximum of 16 people who will
make it this far!) will be invited to the Centennial Arena as
part of our Valley East Lions' Charity Days festivities. (In
the event that nobody opens any of the 16 locks, non-winning
combinations, which will be retained by the vendors, will be
put into a drum, and a winner will be drawn from there.
At the Valley East Lions' Charity Days, each person will be
given another random combination code, one of which will open
the treasure chest containing a TRIP FOR TWO TO CUBA!!!
Please support your local businesses and come out to try
the combinations. If you have any questions, contact Marcel
Servais at 969-5898.
Proceeds from this draw will benefit Palliative Care. |
Locations
of Combination Locks from July 13 to July 19 |
Town &
Country Clips |
Depanneur
Plourde Mini Mart |
Pam's Deli |
Chenier Marche
Richelieu |
Caza Auto Parts |
Cortina Pizza |
Jamie's Napa
Auto Pro |
CAisse
Populaire St. Jacques |
Western Valley
Auto |
Sudbury Online
Services |
Valley East
Today |
Pizza Gallery -
Val Caron |
Sole Mates
Family Footwear |
Hanmer Medical
Pharmacy |
Remax |
Local Food
Banks (Shelley Martel) |
Try
out your combinations on the locks located at the above sites.
If your combination opens the lock, you are one of the
finalists in the Trip To Cuba Contest. |
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Sole Mates Family Footwear Now Has
Two Locations To Serve Customers Throughout The Greater Sudbury Area |
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Rob
Cousins, owner of Sole Mates Family Footwear is pleased to announce that
he has opened up a new 3600 square foot store at the Rainbow Centre in
Downtown Sudbury.
Sole Mates Family Footwear now has two locations in the City of
Greater Sudbury
. The first store opened in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre in the
spring of 2003.
The decision to expand to Downtown Sudbury was based on several factors.
“Our philosophy at Sole Mates Family Footwear is based on the fact that
we want to establish a long-term relationship with each of our customers.
We are not interested in a ‘one-time’ sale. We want our customers to
come back to us on a continuous basis, so we give them personalized
service and pay particular attention to their individual footwear
needs,” explained Cousins. “During the first couple of years we
noticed that a growing number of our regular customers were coming from
Sudbury
. Therefore, I began to look for available sites in
Sudbury
in order to provide a more convenient location for customers who lived
outside of the communities of
Valley East
and Capreol.”
According
to Cousins, the Rainbow Centre offered everything he was looking for in a
second location. “The Rainbow Centre has become one of the most popular
shopping centers in the City of
Greater Sudbury
. The management is committed to improving the shopping experience for
customers of all ages and it’s overall image has been revitalized as a
result of the opening of the Hart Department Store. This is an ideal
location for the kind of service we provide to our own customers. The
Rainbow Centre is right beside the Public Transit Terminal; it is in the
middle of a high density downtown residential area; it is within walking
distance of several hotels and motels; and it is in the heart of the
downtown business district which contains thousands of office workers from
the entire City of
Greater Sudbury
. On top of that, there is free parking for our customers and I was able
to secure one of the prime locations within the Rainbow Centre.”
The initial response from the public since the
opening of Sole Mates Family Footwear in the Rainbow Centre has been
overwhelming. “Even I didn’t expect the immediate results we are
receiving. Everybody we have spoken to is extremely impressed with the
layout, the selection, the quality and most of all, the personal service.
We will continue to go out of our way to completely satisfy the needs of
every one of our customers. Whether you are visiting from out of town, or
you are a life-long resident of the Greater Sudbury Area, you can rest
assured that you will be given the special treatment you deserve at Sole
Mates Family Footwear. That is our guarantee and it is something you can
count on.”
For more information please contact Rob Cousins at
(705) 969-7549 or (705) 675-7613. You can also visit our web site at www.solematesfamilyfootwear.ca.
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Testimonials
Say It All When You Are In Business...Just Ask Ron Pedneault of
FANTASTIC FLOORS |
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"I am so pleased with the way things are going right
now that I wish I would have done this years ago," explained Ron
Pedneault when asked how he was enjoying his new store in Val Caron.
Pedneault's beliefs have all been confirmed since opening on October
2005.
"I knew that I could provide customers with the best prices in the
region. I also knew that with my experience and knowledge of the flooring
industry I could provide them with a level of personalized service that
very few other stores can offer. Therefore, when people come to Fantastic
Floors they are more relaxed and don't feel pressured to buy something
that isn't right for them. They appreciate the fact that I am willing to
work with them, and examine all of the options so that when they do make a
decision that they will have to live with for a long time, it will be the
right one for them," he explained.
Pedneault has found that there are four things that customers are
looking for. The first thing they want is a fair price and that is why
they 'shop around', both from store to store and over the internet. Store
owners and sales persons better realize that when a potential customer
comes in the door today, he or she knows pretty much what the price should
be.
After a fair price, people are looking for customer service reps who
have good product knowledge. They do not want to be served by sales reps
who simply read the brochures or who cannot answer simple questions.
Next they want to feel that you are honest. Don't try to put something
over on a potential customer or your reputation will be spread quickly
throughout the entire community.
Finally, they want excellent service that they can count on.
"I have found that people like my honest approach. For example, if
they come in looking for rock-bottom basement prices on inferior products,
I explain why I do not carry those items. When they see why the prices are
so low in some of my competitors lines, they understand why I steer away
from them," Ron went on. "I tell them that I would rather lose a
sale if I know that the customer will not be happy with the end result. I
don't want them to blame Fantastic Floors for a product that I know will
not last and will not stand up to the wear and tear of normal family life.
I would rather sell them something that I know they will be happy with for
many years to come. I build my business on something that I will never
compromise - my reputation." |
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FANTASTIC FLOORS, is open Monday to Wednesday, from
9 a.m.
to
6 p.m.
; open late until
9 p.m.
on Thursdays and Fridays, and; open until
5 p.m.
on Saturdays.
We also invite you to
visit our new web site which can be found at www.fantasticfloors.ca
to take a virtual look at FANTASTIC FLOORS.
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Long
Distance Calling???? Interested in Voice Over Internet Technology??? Need Your
Computer Repaired??? |
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Edgar
Lajambe, is a 30-year old life-long resident of Hanmer. His passion for
computers and information technology goes back to a high school co-op
placement he had in 1994 with a company called the AMS Group. When he
graduated from
St. Charles
College
he discovered that there were a lot of people who kept coming to him for
computer repairs and consulting, so he formed his own company, Valley
Computers & Consulting.
When
VoIP (Voice over Internet Technology) was first introduced to
Sudbury
, Edgar saw this as the future of communication and immediately jumped on
board; studying everything there is to know about the technology. As a
result, he formed another division of his company, called VCCNet.ca
Internet Solutions, which deals with long-distance discount calling and
the use of the internet for communication purposes.
Edgar
has joined forces with another locally owned firm, Infocom Canada Business
Consultants Inc. which operates Valley East Today, a marketing &
public relations company which publishes a community web site and weekly
online news magazine.
“The
cost of long distance calling has always been a detriment to people living
in the north,” Edgar explained when asked why he feels so strongly about
the communication services he now provides to the community. “I know so
many of my friends and acquaintances who have children or parents living
in other parts of
Ontario
. They would love the chance to talk to them more often by phone, but long
distance charges really cut into the budget; especially for seniors who
would love to talk to grandchildren, or parents who have children away at
university or college.”
“Once
people find out how easy it is to switch over to my plan, and they realize
that there is absolutely no risk or long-term commitment – that all they
get is the freedom to talk on the phone to anyone in Ontario for as long
as they want for one low price of $15.95 a month, they are sold,” Edgar
went on.
Edgar also repairs and programs
individual computers for both commercial and residential use. You can drop
in and see him at his office in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, or he
will come directly to your home or office.
Whatever
you are looking for, give Edgar a call at 670-4039 or you can go to his web site at www.vccnet.ca
and see how he can meet your needs.
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