Giving Tuesday – December 3
Giving Tuesday was started in 2012 by the 92nd Street YMCA in New York and the U.N. It was created as a response to the commercialization and consumerism of the post-Thanksgiving season, and in particular, the spending frenzy of Black Friday.…
World Kindness Day
A number of years ago Pat and I were hiking a section of the Bruce Trail. We had left our car at the start of the trail and a bicycle at the other end, so one of us could ride…
Lest We Forget
There is much in the media at this time of year about the two World Wars and those who fought in these and other wars – and for good reason. My generation and all generations since have been so…
World Polio Day – Oct. 24
We do not hear much about polio these days. That is because polio has been all but eliminated around the world. Canada has been polio-free for many years. In 2018, according to the World Health Organization, there were only 136…
Climate Change: How About Planting A Tree?
It was good to see so much media coverage the last week of September around climate change. Much of it was about Greta Thunburg, the 16-year-old from Sweden, whose outspokenness lead to millions, (many of them young), demonstrating around the…
First Responders – Thank You
Over the past few years, I have heard the term First Responders used more and more. It is a term employed, sometimes generically, to people who are the first to arrive and aid at the scene of an emergency such…
World Ozone Day: An Environmental Good News Story
Sept 16th was World Ozone Day. I heard nothing about it until today, Sept 17th. If I did not hear about it, it likely meant most people did not hear about it either. This is too bad because the UN…
Old But Timeless Values – Thank You Mr. Rogers
Pat and I recently watched a documentary on Netflix on Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) called, “Wont you be my neighbour? (not to be confused with the new Tom Hanks movie about Mr. Rogers). For those whose memory fails them or…
Summer Reads
Summer is traditionally a time to catch up on our reading. While summer is more than half over, I thought I would mention a few books I have read recently which you might enjoy. I love to read, and apart…
The Better Way!
Pat and I, our daughter Heather, son Stuart and his wife Jordan recently spent some time with a Rotary exchange student (Amy) from Japan. She was staying with our other daughter Jennifer and her family, (Jason, Hannah and Sam), in…