Little Dog Lost: Canadians And Kindness

Canadians are some of the most caring, giving people on the planet. This past Sunday, my Italian Greyhound “Cowboy” escaped the house and made a run for it. Sunday here was 35 degrees Celsius and was dry as a desert. My wife and I spent hours searching the surrounding forest with no results. The worst part was that Cowboy had a leash on and I was very afraid he would get caught on something and die from the heat before we could find him.

We started putting up signs and speaking to people in the area but I felt truly helpless. Cowboy could be hit by a car, die of the heat, or be stolen because “iggys” are very expensive. But the people we met made me feel better about these things. People were kind and attentive and truly interested in Cowboy's welfare. The next day, as we continued the search, people we didn’t know asked us how the search was going and told us they were telling friends to keep an eye out. My daughter hit twitter and was retweeted dozens of times. People started sending emails asking about Cowboy. It was amazing.

Now for the good news. On Monday I said a little prayer to figure out where to put the next set of posters and I put them 3 kms away on the bus stops. At 4 pm I got a call from a young man and his father saying their neighbours had found a dog in their pool shed. I asked where it was and they said it was about three kms away! The lovely lady had told the guys and they went out, found a poster, and called me. They drove over and led me to the house and there was my little buddy, tired but very happy to see me. The people were as excited as I was to see our reunion and they were just glad it all worked out.

The next day I received a phone call from a lady from Kemptville. It’s a lovely town about 45 minutes from Ottawa. She had heard about us from Facebook and was calling to see if we had found him yet. She was elated and said she had a group of friends praying for Cowboy's return. These are complete strangers whose only reason to care was the love they have for animals and people. In a world where people seem more and more unfriendly and isolated, it seems that when the chips are down people are really waiting to show they care. Ottawa continues to be an example for the rest of the country when it comes to donations and volunteerism. I am proud to be counted as one of them. By the way: Cowboy has promised not to run away again. 

Yeah right; Hah!

Travelling Canada: the best way to meet this country

CROSS-CANADA TREKKING

My son-in-law and daughter at Chase's Lobsters

My family and I just came back from a drive to Nova Scotia. We saw some amazing things and met some wonderful people. We went to Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick, home of the world’s highest tides and some of the most beautiful rock formations in the world. We toured PEI and swam at Cavendish Beach. We toured Jost Wineries near Pugwash on the North shore. We ate fresh lobster from Chase’s Lobster Pound. We drove through some of the most beautiful farms you will ever see in Quebec. We saw the Gulf of St Lawrence from our vantage point in Riviere de Loup. The whole expedition was amazing.

Hopewell Rocks, NB, and my son.

You know what is kind of sad, though, is how many Canadians have never done a trip like this. Whether it’s driving to Stewart B.C. and feeling the temperature drop 20 degrees as you stand beside the Bear Glacier, or watching a rain storm race towards you on the prairies—a storm that was so delineated, it gets the back of your car wet and not the front as you outrun it. Or how about a soak in the hot springs at the Banff Springs Hotel, or watching your decent along the ocean as you fly into Vancouver.

CROSS-CANADA APPRECIATION

To see Canada is to truly start to understand what it is to be Canadian. I have an idea to help our youth understand what we have: I suggest that each college or university student that finishes their degree with an ‘A’ be rewarded with a one-month Canadian travel pass; they could travel by Via Rail or commercial bus line with the express idea of being introduced to this great land. Might even bring up the national grade averages! These young adults would come back with a better understanding of the people and places that make up the greatest country the world has ever known. What do you think? And if you like this idea, then share this blog and let’s get people talking.

Canadian Fathers: a Profile of My Own Dad.

CANADIANS LOVE FATHERS.

Walking my daughter down the aisle.

What is a father? I have struggled with that definition all my life. My father was a great influence in my life even though we barely had any real time together. But I do believe that he influenced me in many ways. When my brother died at the age of four from leukemia, both my parents never really recovered personally, nor in their relationship. But I do know that his teaching to me was clear and concise in the brief moments we talked. My dad was far from perfect but I chose to listen to the good things and I will be forever grateful that I did.

Today, as a father of two grown adults, I have come to see the fruits of my fathers’ teaching.

First of all, he taught me to accept that there is only one captain in my life when it comes to steering its direction. God gives us the free will to do what we want with it, be it good or bad.

He told me that the course of my life will not always be simple or easy, and that if it was I would never learn to be tough enough to make the hard decisions.

 He said “Sometimes life sucks and it’s up to you how you deal with it”. He told me to hold doors for people as a sign of respect. He said to dress for success. “Whether you’re the prime minister or a ditch digger, dress for the job and dress clean”.

He told me once that if there ever was trouble and he had to choose between me and saving my mom, then mom came first. He said with her help I could be replaced. I knew he was kidding, but it made me feel that he valued my mom above all else.

Proud Dad. (photo by Adam Pap)

“Be the best friend you can even when those around you do not follow such beliefs.” “What goes around comes around so if you’re going to spend your life hurling crap at people you better be ready to duck.”

 “Why play a game if you can’t win or lose? Where is the learning about life in that?”

There were many other sayings and each one was taken to heart as I grew to understand them.

Today, I try and follow the many rules both my parents gave me. I am teaching my children and others these time-honoured values in the hope that it will make their journey honourable, if not easy. I also learned from my dad’s sad mistakes in life. You see, he also taught me to learn from the mistakes of those before us. Mistakes I do not tend to duplicate.

My lovely wife.

When my dad passed away, we were leaving his apartment for the last time and two ladies stopped me to ask if I was his son. They said to me, “Your father was always a gentleman, and in all the time we had known him he had never said a bad thing about anyone”. Not a bad epitaph for any man.

It was these things that helped shape my life. Of course, I could have chosen to ignore his words but that would have been a foolish waste of life full of lessons.

Finally, I think he would say to children having trouble relating or even loving their fathers, to look for the good in him. And if you cannot find the good, then don’t duplicate the bad...because that would be the last thing your dad would want.