We Remember

We attended the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph at Edmonton's City Hall. This is where Wesley's unit, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment, parades for Remembrance Day. You can see my other pictures from the ceremony HERE.

Canada at War

From WWI to Present Day Afghanistan - this video is a tribute to all Canadian soldiers for Remembrance Day 2010 (via Jonathan Wagner)

"The Effect was Instantaneous..."

Ninety four years ago today, on a bleak battlefield known as the Somme, along a forsaken line known as the Regina Trench, a young boy of only 20 years old would spend ten precious minutes of his life displaying such courage that - unbeknown to him - it would reach years into the future to make such an impression on me that my heart would burst when I first learned of it.

I was a young Canadian Scottish Regimental cadet (2422 RCACC) learning regimental history when I first heard the name Piper James Richardson. In my tender youth, for me, his Victoria Cross was a matter of legend and pride and I wanted to be as brave as I imagined him to be. It wasn't until my basic training that I would learn the harrowing details of the amazing story that earned him that honour and it wasn't until I was much older that I came to realize just how spectacularly terrifying that whole time must have been for him.

The setting of the story of those ten minutes is the battle for the Ancre Heights. Piper Richardson (who had joined the 16th Infantry Battalion Canadian Scottish as a private and piper) was part of an advancing company that had been pinned down in a storm of enemy fire - machine guns, rifle fire and artillery. Heavy casualties, the death of the company commander and the mounting gravity of the situation had taken the momentum out of the attack. Just when it all hope seemed lost Piper Richardson asked his sergeant-major if he could pipe them over the top. Yes, he volunteered.

For what must have been the most amazing ten minutes in Somme, Piper Richardson, fully exposed, marched back and forth just outside the enemy wire playing his bagpipes for his troops. Not a single enemy bullet struck him. The citation to his VC decoration would later read "The effect was instantaneous. Inspired by his splendid example, the company rushed the wire with such fury and determination that the obstacle was overcome and the position captured.”

Instantaneous indeed - and all these years later my heart still fills with wonder, inspiration, pride, amazement, thankfulness and a tiny bit of sheer terror when I think of Piper Richardson's courage in those ten minutes.

John Wayne once said "Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway." I don't know of a finer example of "saddling up anyway."

NOTE: In honour of this anniversary the new Pipes of War website launches today.

Livestrong Together

 

Fourteen years ago, on October 2, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer - but with the news that it had spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain his chances were greatly hampered. He was only 25 years old.

 

Through a combination of determination, education, physical conditioning, aggressive medical treatments and a positive attitude, Lance fought back at the disease. Before even knowing how the story would end he declared himself a cancer survivor. He created the LIVESTRONG Foundation as a support and advocacy group for other survivors. And he never backed down. Amazingly, after his treatments finished, he went on to win the Tour de France a record breaking seven times in a row.

 

Lance Armstrong has been an inspiration to me and his LIVESTRONG website has long been a source of knowledge and motivation for me as I try to incorporate healthy choices into my own lifestyle.         

 

Today is LIVESTRONG Day - a global event to raise support and awareness for the 28 million cancer survivors worldwide. I am going to wear yellow today in support of the LIVESTRONG ideology and in honour of Lance Armstrong and the way he showed us to believe in our strengths. 

 

You can also participate in LIVESTRONG Day online - help spread the word.

The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier

When I first visited Ottawa (about nine years ago) I had an entire day to myself. I was staying with a friend who lived along the Rideau Canal but he had to work so I set off to explore Ottawa, walking along the Canal (beautiful, btw) until I eventually got to the end by the Locks and then headed up towards the Parliament Buildings. Between that point and where I was going I came across the National War Memorial and of course, the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, who had been buried there just the year before (repatriated home from the Vimy Ridge burial grounds in France).

When I came upon the Tomb I was ill prepared for the feelings that overcame me; feelings that ran the gamut from sorrow to thankfulness and finally to brotherhood and kinship. I sat beside his Tomb for a couple of hours, just sitting and thinking about who this person must have been and what his life meant - both at the time he gave it for our country and now, to me (to all of us really).

I could not visit Ottawa without visiting this old soldier again. He may not have a name and we may not ever really know who he is but we do know that he gave us everything in the hopes that we would continue to live free in this world as Canadians. I owe him everything.

The Larks Still Bravely Singing Fly

Anniversary Trip Part 1 - Victoria BC

We celebrated our wedding anniversary with an adventure to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It turned out to be both a perfect bookend to our anniversary trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia last year and a great way to be reminded of our Honeymoon trip five years ago.

The Fairmont Empress Hotel

The Empress Hotel is part of what makes Victoria's inner harbour and downtown area. I couldn't resist taking many pictures of the empress from all angles. The Edwardian château-style hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury (the same man who designed the Parliament buildings) for Canadian Pacific Hotels and completed in 1908.

The BC Parliament Buildings at night

At night the BC Parliament buildings are lit up by over 3000 lightbulbs, making it the most spectacular part of the Victoria night skyline (it dominates the day time skyline as well). This is the iconic view that most people associate with Victoria.

Traditional Victorian carriage rides

We almost took a carriage ride around Victoria... It really was fun to be like a tourist in Victoria while on our vacation, doing as the tourists do. But since I grew up on Vancouver Island I just couldn't bring myself to pay the amount of money they were charging the tourists for those carriage rides (99.00 each for 15 minutes!) so every time we did go to get a ride I changed my mind!

Whales are a sight to behold

In sharp contrast to the carriage rides the money we paid to go on our whale watching tour was worth every penny - and I'd recommend anyone going to Victoria do it. For three hours we zipped around the waters off of Vancouver Island (and the San Jaun Islands in the USA) viewing spectacular scenery, jumping the wakes of bigger boats and, of course, enjoying the wildlife. We saw Killer Whales (two resident Orca pods that we stayed with for an hour), seals and porpoises (which were too shy for me to get a picture of). So much fun I wanted to do it again as soon as I got back.

The totems of Thunderbird Park

Thunderbird Park is an awesome greenspace (of which Victoria has a lot) beside the Royal BC Museum and across from the Empress Hotel. It's a lovely place and we enjoyed laying in the grass here together, absorbing the sunshine and watching the people go by.

A Hero's bagpipes return home

One of the reasons I wanted to go to Victoria on our next trip was to reconnect with the history of my unit, The Canadian Scottish Regiment, which has it's home and Battalion Headquarters here. In particular I really wanted to see Piper Richardson's bagpipes, which had recently been found. Richardson won the Victoria Cross for "most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when, prior to attack, he obtained permission from his Commanding Officer to play his company "over the top". As the Company approached the objective, it was held up by very strong wire and came under intense fire, which caused heavy casualties and demoralised the formation for the moment. Realising the situation, Piper Richardson strode up and down outside the wire, playing his pipes with the greatest coolness. The effect was instantaneous. Inspired by his splendid example, the company rushed the wire with such fury and determination that the obstacle was overcome and the position captured. Later, after participating in bombing operations, he was detailed to take back a wounded comrade and prisoners. After proceeding about 200 yards, Piper Richardson remembered that he had left his pipes behind. Although strongly urged not to do so, he insisted on returning to recover his pipes." I've often thought to myself I would follow bagpipes anywhere and this piece of history has always been close to my heart.

As you can see we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in Victoria (it's taken me this long to get the photos up online!), which was the first part of our trip. You can see the rest of our Victoria Trip here. Part 2 of the trip should be up soon.

One Giant Leap for Mankind...

I would not be born for another three years, but this event would change the life I was to live. NASA gave me my heroes and fueled many of my dreams. I spent my childhood nights exploring the night sky, peering upwards and dreaming of being an astronaut and where the human race might possibly be going in the future. I didn't have to sleep to dream.

Still, years later, the heavens hold my fascination. I love that I grew up in the space age. Happy 40th Anniversary of the Lunar Landing NASA. And thank you.

Dare to Dream

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

In the Service of Peace

In the Service of Canada

In addition to remembering our Veterans today my thoughts drift towards friends and strangers serving in Afghanistan who are on the front lines of what has been Canada's most dangerous United Nations Mission to date. My thoughts, prayers and thanks are with you all.

Last Post.

63 Years and 1000 Cranes Later

"I will write peace on your wings
and you will fly all over the world"
-Sadako Sasaki

An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted their greatest wish. Sadako Sasaki’s wish was to recover so she could run again, although destiny had a different path for her. Sadako continued to fold her cranes even as she became sicker, until she died.

Her story became one of hope and inspiration symbolic of the desire for peace felt by her friends. As part of her legacy, children from across the world still fold cranes for Sadako and send them to Hiroshima to be placed at her memorial in the Peace Park.

Thank You Dr. Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch, Oct 23, 1960 – Jul 25, 2008

"Cancer didn't change me at all. I know lots of people talk about the life revelation. I didn't have that. I always thought every day was a gift, but now I am looking for where to send the thank you note."

Dr. Randy Pausch’s message gave my family a perspective from which to begin solidifying our own dreams and goals. We were inspired to record our dreams, list our short and long term goals and to even start a "bucket list" that we have begun working on fulfilling, right away (because, well, why wait?).

Today I feel that is I who overwhelmingly needs to "send a thank you note" to Dr. Pausch. In just one year, he has had an amazing impact on our lives. If I could, I would say thank you for reminding us that we can and should dream big, that we can always work for what we want, that good things will come our way if we remember to live our lives the right way and, especially, thank you for showing us that true grace, happiness and bravery is within us all.

People like Dr. Pausch appear to be rare, yet he taught us that we are all just like him. And he made us believe it. In a world full of all sorts of people wanting to cram their advice and opinions down our throats – Dr. Pausch's enduring gift to us really was, simply, faith in ourselves.

Goodspeed, Dr. Pausch. And Thank You.

An Enduring Legacy (CMU)

Girls Can Be Ruffians Too

I was born during an exciting time for horse racing, with three Triple Crown Winners within the first six years of my life - Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed – and me being born a girl did not need much prompting to fall in love with horse racing.

But it was a different horse altogether with which I actually fell in love with – Ruffian. The perfection of beauty, she was magical to me, a once in a lifetime thing. Ruffian won every race she ran, save her last, including the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing (the Filly Triple Crown equivalent) in 1975. If you’ve never seen her run – winning by 15 lengths in her debut race – you can take this opportunity to watch her here, here and here.

I can’t help but imagine, if destinies had be different that day, what greatness might have come of a Secretariat and Ruffian combination… but, I digress.

Today is Preakness Day and I will be watching with interest to see if thus far undefeated Big Brown will put himself within winning distance of the Triple Crown, something that hasn’t been done since 1978. The possibility excites me. But really, since the Derby and Eight Belles' nightmarish accident I have been thinking more of Ruffian and the short life that touched mine so long ago. Sir Winston Churchill once said that "there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man..." I don’t know if it can be said better than that.

Dream Without Fear and Live Your Dreams

Since I first discovered Randy Pausch I have become a big fan. Two things are happening today I want to tell you about. First, you can see Randy on TV tonight with Diane Sawyer (ABC) at 10pm (check your local viewing times). Second, his book "The Last Lecture" has been released and is available in a bookstore near you.

Reflections on the Easter Message

We watched the Iron Giant today – wonderful movie whose ending has me thinking of the Easter Message.

There's a point in the story where a nuclear missile is going to kill everyone that the Iron Giant knows. In an instant the Giant makes a selfless decision – he will sacrifice himself to save everyone else. As he flies toward the missile he hears his friend's words in his head "You are what you choose to be." Moments before the impact, with determination of choice, the Giant says "Superman!"

It's a retelling of the universal human story of unconditional love, compassion and sacrifice. It's taught in all of our world religions and traditions. The Qur'an teaches the most effective factor in establishing world peace is through an individual's personal peace and inner state of harmony; Buddhism warns that to be of any help at all we must first become selfless. "You must be the change you want to see in the world," echoes the words of Mahatma Gandhi. It even permeates our own stories, as when Gandalf tells Frodo "All there is to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you."

Despite what its critics say, Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" is one of my favourite movies; a brilliant portrayal of a Jesus that I can relate too.

"Last Temptation" is Scorsese’s attempt to reconcile the belief that Jesus was both fully a man and fully God with his own understanding of what it means to truly be a man. As such, Scorsese's Jesus is a man with human feelings as Scorsese knows them. Jesus struggles to understand his relationship with God and his "destiny" as he believes God has laid it out for him. But he struggles because for him it has no meaning, yet, and as such he can’t make the sacrifice that the act itself demands.

What makes "Last Temptation" so powerful occurs within the dream sequence near the end of the movie. Jesus has before him all the temptations that any regular man desires from a lifetime, he tastes it, knows it, and wants it more than anything he's ever wanted before. With it comes a different destiny; his world in ruins.

In an instant of epic realization, Jesus sees what is at stake and makes a choice. He chooses to be the son of God. He chooses to be the sacrifice to save his fellow man. He gives up everything he always wanted and dreamed of and asks God to take him - willingly gifting his life for the good of humanity - this intentional choice is what provides the sacrifice necessary for salvation to occur.

It was never enough for him to merely go to the cross and die.

Just as it is not enough for any of us to merely lead a simple and self centered life towards our own endings.

This same potential exists within all of us. At best it's what sets certain people apart in moments of chaos – those we call heroes - and at least it's a way of living that influences the choices we consider making. We must be the change we want to see in this world. Everyday.

Happy Easter everyone.

God Save the "Qwiin"

"Palace sources told The People: "When she saw William playing a game after lunch at Sandringham she thought the Nintendo looked tremendous fun and begged to join in. She played a simple ten-pin bowling game and by all accounts was a natural. It was hilarious. William was in fits of laughter. He was enormously impressed at having such a cool gran." Read story here.

Now she's playing with power!

Via GamePolitics.com.

"She Has Been Martyred”

Pakistani opposition leader and leading Prime Ministerial contender Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi today.

"I am not afraid, I am ready to die for my country."
- Benazir Bhutto (with Time Magazine)

Benazir Bhutto was many things in life – a well educated, charismatic, high profile world leader; a former prime minister; a promoter of democracy; an anti terrorism crusader; a courageous and brave human being... but more importantly, I think, she was a woman. The first woman to lead a modern Muslim country.

Democratically elected twice by her people, she was deposed and ousted both times amid alleged charges of "corruption" that appeared politically motivated by male dominated and militarily backed political rivals. She spent time in exile, under house arrest and years jailed in solitary confinement. Yet, despite this past treatment and intelligence reports indicating that Islamic militants would send suicide bombers after her, she returned to participate in the democratic election set for January 8th, bringing hope once again to the people of Pakistan.

With less than two weeks to go to that election, Bhutto’s campaign, struggle and life are finished in what is surely a tragedy for Pakistan, if not the world.

Peace Be Upon Her.

The Awesome Responsibility of Citizenship

"To you from failing hands we throw The torch;
be yours to hold it high."

From Vimy To Kandahar, for everything you do...
Thank You.

"I do what I do so you can do what you do''

"Quick as a flash, she punctured my professorial balloon," he recalled, of her response to his argument that education was the key to alleviating oppression, an army of teachers and community workers preferable to an army of troops.

The captain had retorted: "You can't do that when the bad guys run things, Dad, they just shoot you. You have to have peace and good government in order for the rest to happen. I do what I do so you can do what you do."

Yesterday, the father conceded that the daughter knew best.

Rest In Peace, Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard.

With the Greatest Gratitude; a Last Sunrise

The great bell atop our Peace Tower tolled 91 times as Sgt (retired) Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith (VC, CM, OBC, CD) arrived on Parliament Hill today, for the last time.

Ever wonder what kind of wisdom the experience of fighting in two wars (he re-enlisted for Korea) leaves someone with?

Master Cpl. Bud Dickson (aide de camp to Smokey for the past 10 years) once sat in silence with him while they watched the sun come up over the Mediterranean, and this is what Smokey told him:

"Try to do this as often as you can. You never know when your last sunrise is going to be".

*****************************************

After 91 years of sunrises this Canadian hero will be laid to rest, fittingly, in the year of the Veteran. After laying in state in Ottawa, a full military funeral will be held Saturday, 13 August 2005 at St Andrew-Wesley Church, 1012 Nelson Ave, Vancouver, BC (following a 24-hour vigil and funerary procession from the Seaforth Armoury, 1650 Burrard St). I encourage everyone who can go to do so.