Go to the Water

Two of the most well-known inspirational men in Canada have the same last name. In the 1970s, these men went to school about 20 km apart in suburbs just east of Vancouver B.C. Neither were born in BC. Terry came from Winnipeg; Michael came from Edmonton and they both ended up in the same corner of the Lower Mainland. Terry was described as a gritty, determined athlete who never gave up on anything. About 20 km away, in Burnaby, was Michael. He was described as small, funny and was already acting on Canadian TV as a teenager. He left home at 18 to go to Los Angeles to chase his acting dream.  When Terry was 18, he was diagnosed with bone cancer, and his right leg was amputated above the knee.  On April 12, 1980, Terry dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean at St. John's, Newfoundland and began his run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He called it the "Marathon of Hope". Every day for 143 days, Terry ran close to a marathon. He ran 5373 kms before ...

"Can you spot me" is a slang term that has been popularized in the fitness community. It means you help someone safely perform an exercise. Often used in weightlifting and bodybuilding.     There are rules when you "spot someone". It usually happens when a person is doing some type of lift and has increased the weight they are lifting. If the lifter is concerned about that weight, they will ask someone to spot them. The trainers make sure we understand the rules when spotting someone. You can  only help them once they start to shake and they can't get the bar back on the holders. DO NOT start to help until that point and they ask for help. Like everything that is done in the gym, it has to be done correctly.  I was thinking how the line, "can you spot me?" also describes two types of people. First, "the people who just about get there but need a little bit of help". Secondly, are "the people who help others to get there". Asking for...

On Thursday I attended a Celebration of Life for my dad's brother. My Uncle's family did an amazing job of putting together a loving tribute for a man that had led an interesting life for 92 years. He knew he was dying of leukemia for several weeks before his death. He took that time to get his affairs in order, say his good-byes and tell his stories. He was an incredible storyteller, and he was blessed to have a sound mind to recall every detail.   The service was held in the community hall. Often when you get to be 92 the attendance at your funeral is small. Not on Thursday, the hall was full to the brim, and the overflow was in the basement. Clearly, he had an impact on so many, and they wanted to say their good-byes.   The funeral was led by a lay minister. She announced that it was her 129th service and never before had this been done at one of her services. My uncle wrote a song several years ago and he wanted it played at his funeral. The slideshow began with ...

May and I just had a blaze of glory "Summer Bakesale". To say we threw it together would be an accurate description of how it came to be. We are not new to making a Bakesale happen, and this time we only offered six choices. The Bakesale favorites are our signature brownies, Grandma Dempsey's gingersnaps, Kay's Puffed wheat cake, Monster cookies, pumpkin muffins and carrot muffins with cream cheese icing.  We baked everything within 24 hours of the sale. The muffins and puffed wheat cake were made the day before. The day of the sale we did the brownies and cookies. It is unpredictable as to what people's favorite would be. We threw in the carrot cake muffins as the last-minute item, and they became a popular request. I realized I only had this one picture to share, and it was at the end of the sale.  My business partner is now 13 and is very capable in the kitchen. Her mother is the business manager; we describe ourselves as non-profit. In other words, we work tow...

On August 16th, I celebrated 50 years since I started my nursing career. I can't even believe I am writing that. Fifty years is an exceptionally long time. When I started my career 50 years ago, I thought I would work for a couple of years, have kids and be a stay-at-home mom. Well, I did start my family, but I was never a stay-at-home mom. I paid my nursing registration for 43 consecutive years. Nursing at that time, was a highly respected career. It was a career that made a difference. You could physically and emotionally touch people. Everyone believed that a nurse knew best and never questioned her decisions. No google search, or AI at that time to question your knowledge.  My career has served me well. It is the one thing that has always been there in the highs and lows of my life. When I moved to Brandon and started my new life, I woke up every day and said thanks to my career. It has served many purposes. It has been a distraction; it has always been a way for me to make ext...

I have always felt that if you listen to your body, it will tell you what food and nutrients it needs. A message will be sent in the form of a craving. Let's start off with coffee in the morning. The very first thing I do every morning is turn the coffee pot on. It has been fueled up the night before with water and coffee and it is locked and loaded, ready to go. There is no doubt drinking coffee the first thing in the morning is a huge habit. I also think the reason we need/want coffee the minute we get out of bed, is we crave the taste of coffee and the effect it has on us. It makes us feel more awake and ready for the day. I am one of those people that can eat the minute I wake up. I usually wake up hungry and eat very soon after getting up. It is a well-known fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and in my world, it is my favorite meal of the day.    Do you ever get a craving for something? Have you ever considered that is your body telling you that it...

I love to read stories about people that have made it to "100" years old. The young at heart, vibrant, no one would have a clue they are 100, kind of person. Canada has 12,281 people that are centenarians. (29.5 people per 100,000). It is now the fastest growing age group in the country, having more than tripled since 2000. Women are the vast majority of centenarians having 81% of the population.  I recently read an article about a woman that just turned 100. She lives with her grandson, and he posts comedic things that she does on her Instagram "Gangster Granny". She has seen it all, WW2, the great depression and at 96 she was diagnosed with colon cancer. She had treatment and is healthy again.  Here is a recap of her list of 6 things that she attributes to her long and healthy life.  1 Keep Busy : She maintains that she keeps her mental acuity through "faith and hard work". During WW II she built bomb shelters, she then worked at General Motors, General ...