one lucky family

I hope not to ramble to much - this subject can be a little touchy... but here goes.

It takes a village to raise a child!

I'm from Toronto, we don't have villages, smallest thing I think I was exposed to growing up was a town... village sounds like something with 50 people in it and only one postal code. So for my peace of mind let's rephrase and say it takes a community to raise a child. ahhhh much better

We are pretty lucky as far as families go... original mom and dad unit still holding up, married, no infidelity (hmmm I will make sure to verify that...lol), had a healthy son, and just had another... here's the thing though, sometimes we forgot all the help we receive to be able to achieve what we do. To set the stage let me explain - both of our (my wife and I) families are based around the GTA (greater Toronto area), so really in terms of blood relatives in the near vicinity, we are pretty much nil. They do visit, some more then others (big up Dtrini and de crew), but on a day to day basis, we don't get mom's cooking or dad's advice without a 4.5 hour trek across Ontario (gone are the 3 hour midnite missions... sigh). So what did we do to provide relief from this abyss... we adopted family.

Normally, they adopt you, but in our case we sought the best of the best and ADOPTED THEM. So now our kids (ooooo I love the sound of that... say it again... kids...) have many sets of grand ma's and grand pa's and a whole heap of aunties and uncles and cousins. When the wife went into labour (she does not blog or facebook, so until she does she is the wife, no fancy nickname for her I tell you what) one set of grandparents took son #1 and grandma of the second set was actually there to welcome in son #2 (as joy would have it she welcomed son #1 into the world as well). I am sure we would have "found a way", but we didn't have to (Thank God!).

There has been an outpouring of love from all angles of people who we thought were friends, but we now know are really undercover family... soooo many names to mention I dare not try and ere by forgetting one. Thank you ALL so very much!!!.

Over the years I have had many deep conversation with a WIDE variety of people, but one always comes to mind when the notion of friend comes up. It was 4 of us in a room watching kickers (aka martial arts films) and the friends topic came up. Her description in its essence was that acquaintances ask what you need or how they can help, friends just find a way to "git 'er done".

I have lived by and with that since then :)

I just picked up a message from a 'friend' who has explained that she is coming over with fully prepared dinner... the day after delivery a 'friend' drove in from Montreal just to hug Keisha and say congrats then packed up her two babies and wonderful husband, and drove right back... a friend realizing that hospital food tastes like - well a hospital, brought in roti (mmmmmm) and curried goat and rice (mmmmmmmmmmm x2)... and so on....

I can speak confidently for my wife when I say, we are the type of family that just finds a way. Hardly ever will you hear us ask for help, we just try to make it work. You wanna give us a break, come and take the rug rats, don't tell us to drop them of if we need a rest, because we never "need" a rest from them - oooo do we love being around them and hugging them and playing with them and and and....

What I'm trying to gt at... if you want to help a "friend" just go out and find a way to help them. You can ask what they need, but if they are anything like us (and we have found that there are many like us) they will say they don't need anything... so just find a way!!! Now, be careful, ya don't wanna force yourself unwantedly upon someone else, but how many people do you know would refuse a home cooked Italian meal :)

Take care,

quelle heure?

well, what can I say it's been a while



sooo, what time is it????



time for us to have a baby!!!!

on July 21, 2007 my wife delivered a beautiful baby boy





I would say the most beautiful baby boy in the world if we didn't have one three years ago :)



I spoke to a friend earlier today, he called to congratulate us... he went on to say that he was not a very religious or spiritual person. I said to him I respect his views, but there is something about childbirth that makes a believer out of those who don't believe, and reinforces faith in those who may be wavering...



after all I have been going through with mr kidney, this was such a welcome gift... I feel like a lil kid in a candy store... me a parent not once but twice, well if that isn't a miracle on its own then I don't know what is (insert, wacko doctor told us we had .01% of a chance to conceive naturally...)



so I have lots of stories to tell, and many instances of 'wizdom' to pass along.



one things for sure, I am one lucky SOB, and glad that life served me the dish that it has. I could whine and complain about mr kidney, or I can hop on a bike and go on adventure with son #1 and come back and spend quality floor time with son #2... which one do you think I'll pick :)



again I urge you, the one or two of you that may pass by once in a blue moon... go do SOMETHING today, not what you do everyday, pick up and do something special... Life is beautiful, even when you get dealt the nasty hands... find beauty in something and enjoy, love, laugh, cry, embrace, discover....



I will be back soon... promise!

nothing much

Ahhh this blogging thing…

Sometimes I wonder if it is worth coming here and spilling my guts about life. Many people say they enjoy the pictures and the accounts of my weird life, but then there are those lulls in time where no one says a word. Much like a community radio program I have been doing for the past 10 or so years… there are days when it just seems like you’re on you own.

Well I am home sick today… with a cold. I caught it at work… makes one wonder why, when people are this sick, do they go to work and spread it around to everyone else? My brother thinks that it is because “people” don’t like to use sick days when they are really sick. (note: that was a joke… one that you may not get if you don’t work for the “man”)

Well I am hoping this round of illness does not set off Mr IGA nephrology, not sure I can handle him right now. I have read many articles and accounts, and it would seem that I have many years to go before having to worry, which is a good thing, as long as I can battle the individual bouts.

So have a great day!!!

Be a great day!!!

Hug someone!!!

Laugh!

Graduation

As many of you know, in my previous life I taught elementary school. I loved teaching, but found that it drained me emotionally because I could not separate life from school. The kids’ problems became my problems and I felt I had to leave after 3 years.

What many may not know is that I became a teacher, because/in spite/despite a very mean hearted teacher and principal I had in grade 8. Let's say I had some 'home issues' that were spilling over and affecting/effecting me and my school life. So what did these two yahoos do, you may ask? Well the teacher told me in front of my class that I would never graduate from HS because of my work ethic (she was in the school from the time I entered in kindergarten... I was an A student until the last few years when the problems started... but she never figured she would check to see what may have been causing the trouble) and the principal called me into his office and said that I should look up words in the dictionary (can't rem the exact words at this time, but ones that would describe a trouble maker), because that was how he and the school perceived me. Not once did either simply ask... what's wrong!!! (note: that is a very short account of a grade 8 year, straight from hell!)

Well I was determined to one day become a teacher and help change the life, or at least make the difference in a student's life in a positive way. Well the last school I was at had one such student. He was a mild 'trouble maker' but with such a warm spirit... but LAZY :) I never did find out what was 'wrong' with him, but he did know that he could come to me and exhale when need be. I did my best to work with him through the year. There were times when he really hated the fact that I was his teacher, because I pushed him academically, but I still made sure that he trusted that someone was always willing to listen when need be.

He graduated before I left the school and thanked me for listening and never giving up on him.

It's funny how an individual looks for validation... I was expecting that he would call me at the school to say how he was doing in HS, or, he had a sister in my school still, so he should come by once a month or so to say hello, I expected a big card, or maybe a skywriter to say there you go kiddo, you're a great teacher, you made a difference, but nothing, just a simple thank you :)

I learned years later to appreciate that thank you and I have cherished the fact since then.

Yesterday, I picked up an e mail, from guess who? student x

He is writing me to ask a favor...

He is graduating from HS, and would consider it an honour to have me attend. He will be leaving for a couple years to study abroad and hopes he can see me before he goes, because he really misses me :)

He said he would write soon so that I could catch up on his life, I told him no problem, just hold the mustard... (my students made sure to advise me not to become a stand up comedian)

In the end, your answers come from where and when they need to... you can not force the world to conform to your needs, but rather adjust yourself to enhance the environment around you and no matter what the response is, you can get something out of it.

I don't think that by any means I saved student x, but then again, who knows... maybe I was just there when he needed an extra push to get him through a rough patch.

So I get to witness a lil boy enter the wild wide world as a man and I am proud of him.

This is better then any silly little skywriter... I miss teaching.

Sooo what did you do today?

Now before anyone gets their knickers in a twist... this wasn't exactly planned. Nor is this one of those, "I think I'm gonna die, so let me do all the wild and crazy things I've never done before" posts... but more of a ... now I realize how precious life is, so why talk about it... like the Nike commercial says, "Just DO IT!!!"





so what did you do today????





I flew a plane :O

Now, don't hate... no it's not a lear jet, but for 30 mins it was the greatest plane in the world, because I was flying it. My wonderful wife has been encouraging me to try flying for years, so I snuck behind her back and made arrangements for the "intro-flight" and surprised her today by saying, "honey, I'm going up in that tiny green thing over there, would you mind taking some pictures?"

She was in much shock for the most part, ya think!!!

non members must stay behind a fence for insurance, hence the not so close up pictures... but I FLEW A PLANE!!!!

So it really is a very long and interesting story, but the short is they walk you around the plane, telling you things to check before flying a Cesna 150... then you jump in and take off... my instructor takes a hard right and looks at me and says grab the wheel... I'm like WHAT?!?!?! - he's like you didn't come to sight see so grab the wheel... so I grab and he says ease back until we hit 1600 feet and fly!!!

and I flew

and it was AMAZING!!!

so when ever you see me I have one heck of a drinking story to tell, although because of mr 'kidney' problem, it may be san pellegrino. If you don't know me personally and you happen to stumble across this blog... Go do something you really wanted to do for a long time... don't think about it or rationalize why you shouldn't... just pick up right now and go do it (unless of course it is illegal or will hurt someone or... you get the point)... but really, life is this wonderful thing that we bank and then complain when we can't withdraw... pinch a lil from it now and enjoy :)

see you on the horizon...

love ya lots SP K

Back at last... brrr Winterlude

For those of you who have never witnessed/experienced winterlude the following pictures are created from blocks of ice, carved with ordinary hand tools... really something you need to see to believe...

and don't forget the beavertails!!! :)