I attended a funeral service yesterday in Fergus for Tim O’Sullivan and was very pleased to see so many people in attendance. There were a few tears, a lot of laughs and it was a good send off for a man who was taken before his time. My mother passed away in August 2008 and I think she was a great lady. She was a bit of a fatalist and one of her favourite sayings was, “Things happen – and don’t – for a reason.” I could hear her speaking these words as I sat in the funeral parlor yesterday and, as usual, I took comfort in the memory of her voice. I also took comfort in the stories that were related of Tim and hope that his family was able to do so as well.

After the service I took the long way home so I could drive through the countryside and when I got to my computer I had the following link waiting for me that I thought under the circumstances was the perfect way to end the day.

Tim – here’s to you. And Mom, I hope you’re doing well… I am thankful for having known you both.

http://tedxtalks.ted.com/embed/player/container/1280/666/?layout=&content_type=content_item&playlist_cid=&media_type=video&content=S0V11804QXQR55CR&read_more=1&widget_type_cid=svp&referrer=http%3A%2F%2F36ohk6dgmcd1n-c.c.yom.mail.yahoo.net%2Fom%2Fapi%2F1.0%2Fopenmail.app.invoke%2F36ohk6dgmcd1n%2F9%2F1.0.35%2Fca_rogers%2Fen-CA-x-rogers%2Fview.html

I have a ‘hands free’ system in my car so I can talk on my cell phone while driving. As I was coming home the other day I reached for my phone but dropped it on the console between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat. I was parking so finished the task at hand before rummaging for it and as I picked it up I noticed that the screen was illuminated. I glanced to see whether it was an incoming call or not and I laughed at first thinking that I was about to incur charges but then looked twice because the number that was dialing was that of my mother who passed away in 2008. I then froze at the realization of whose number it was – and that the phone was ringing. Then I heard a voice…

“Hello?”

It was the friendly, soft voice of a woman and I have to admit that for that fraction of a second I thought I was speaking with my mother from beyond the grave.

“Hi… I’m sorry. My name is Jim and I dropped my phone and it mis-dialed. I just realized that I just mistakenly dialed what used to be my mother’s phone number… I’m sorry. I didn’t know her number was still programmed into my cell phone…”

“Oh. Do you mean Esma Wilson?”

I was shocked that she knew my mother’s name but gathered my composure and replied, “…Yes”

“We have had a couple of calls from people looking for her since we got this number. Sorry, what was your name again?”

I paused. “My name is Jim Wilson and Esma was my mother… and she was a great mom.” Talking about her made me smile. “I am sure she would appreciate you taking good care of this number for her. Sorry to bother you – have a good night…”

With that we said goodbye – but for that briefest of moments, I could hear my mother’s voice again and it felt as if we had just chatted.

You know, life take’s funny turns and what I initially thought was going to be an embarrassingly quick apology for dialing a wrong number turned into a special moment that made my week. That was perhaps the best dropped call I have ever made and I don’t think I am going to delete the number from my cell phone just yet because, to be honest, I hope to mis-dial it again.

Miss you Mom…

My father told me once that the measure of a man is not what he does when people are watching but rather what he does when people are not watching. Every time I get into a situation that has me questioning what exactly is going on I think of his words and thank him for his guidance.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when you are confronted with a situation where you are faced with having to make a decision to either speak up or shut up. You can resign yourself to accepting the circumstances or take action based on principle and risk the consequences. I had one of those situations earlier this year in my ‘day’ job and after thinking about how I was raised and in what I believe I made a decision effective today that will affect my life from this day forward. I may suffer financially but my integrity is worth more to me than any payment I might receive by overlooking a lapse in ethics. Am I being naive? Perhaps. But in my books a person either has principles or they do not and today is the start of a new chapter in my life.

I can not say anything further at the moment but as I get older and experience situations like this I look back fondly on how my parents raised our family and I appreciate the example they set, the ethics they instilled and the love they shared. I hope that I pass these same things along to my son as well as they did to my siblings and me. It starts with knowing right from wrong, having – and living by – a set of principles and having the faith to believe in what those principles represent.

Thanks Mom & Dad. Today is the start of a new chapter and I am raring to get it underway!

Today is Mother’s Day and it is certainly going to be a different one for me because for the first time in my life, instead of remembering my wonderful mother who passed away in August 2008, I am celebrating the woman who is the mother of my son. My life since late 2009 has been a whirlwind crammed with a number of life-changing events and easily the 2 highlights have been meeting Aimee and the birth of our son Jake. I am fortunate that she puts up with me and that we have a healthy, happy baby (I know, just wait…).

We are also fortunate that Aimee’s mother Ollie is in town to join us for the weekend. I don’t think I could ask for a better in-law and I am thankful for our relationship. She lost her husband last year and while tomorrow may be difficult for her we hope that our son Jake’s presence will help ease the burden of sorrow she carries.

There will be a lot of laughs tomorrow and we absolutely have much to celebrate and for which to be thankful… not the least of which is my own mother and my memories of her.

Miss you Mom. I wish you were here to share in the day…