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Your children are not your children
A few weeks ago, my daughter’s choir hosted a treble training festival for several other children’s choirs in southern Ontario. They’re always great events, when these well-trained choristers come together, work with a guest conductor and finally, hold a joint concert where they raise their voices in song and raise the rafters of whatever church has been borrowed for the occasion. The kids work hard during that day, as evidenced by the 87 pizzas we the 150+ choristers put back for dinner! But that’s not the point of this story. I like to sit quietly in the back while the (mostly)… Read more…
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Finding teachable moments
We’ve all said it. We’ve all had the frustration of having it said to us. “Just let me do it myself – it’s easier than explaining it to you.” It’s not easy to let go of something want done “just so” and to realize that in the long run, you’re better off investing the time up front.One of the things I’ve truly enjoyed through my career is nurturing and mentoring young people starting out. I think it’s important to take the time to invest in their progress. Yes, it is often easier to just do a task yourself, but when… Read more…
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Finding role models in a sea of scandal
As the latest inevitable next news story about Toronto’s beleaguered mayor, Rob Ford plays out, I wonder what kind of role models today’s youth have to look up to. Television, radio, newspapers and the internet provide an endless stream of coverage of disgraced politicians, athletes and businesspeople. Poor decision-making, judgement lapses and bad choices almost seem to be de rigueur. Wars are fought in the name of religion, military invasions change innocent people’s citizenship in an instant and elections are fraught with charges of vote-tampering. The natural cynicism of teens feeds on this kind of negativity and there seems to… Read more…
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My only A+
I’m one 36 percent of Canadians with type A+ blood. And while that’s a pretty common blood type, it’s still one that that gets asked for on a regular basis. Back in university, I first donated blood one Valentine’s Day – there was a cute promotion that asked you to come in and donate with the one you loved, so we did. But for some reason, I never went back. That is, until a couple of years ago. Canadian Blood Services says that approximately every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood. In fact, according to a recent poll,… Read more…
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The Comparison Game
Looking around me, I can’t help but see other people who have made it a priority to find a way to give back. Whether it’s my good friend who dedicates time every year to organizing events to raise money for our local hospital, a caring colleague who organizes a Relay for Life team year after year to raise money to fund cancer research, a fellow chorister who volunteers at her grandchildrens’ school to help with the reading program, a former workmate who sits on a volunteer board to promote mental health, or my Dad, who drags watering can after watering… Read more…
