Trout, Speeding Tickets and Crazy Good Turns

Hi Friends,

The glory of life is to love, not to be loved; to give, not to get; to serve, not to be served.

Canada is in mourning, following a tragic accident in Saskatchewan that claimed the lives of sixteen members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team last weekend. 

People have been wearing sports jerseys, leaving hockey sticks out on their porches, and contributing donations to one of the largest ever "go-fund me" campaigns, to show support for the surviving team members, and the friends and families of those who have passed.

When something of this magnitude happens, it reminds us all of how precious life is and how every day is a gift. 

Ryan Straschnitzki inspires me. Here is a young man who is paralyzed from the chest down following the crash. When told he would never skate again, he accepted it and went to the positive, saying he would play sledge hockey instead. 

What an outlook for an 18-year-old to have following such a life-altering event. We have much to learn from young Ryan. His journey ahead will be tough but having an attitude such as this will be inspiring to many who work with him to rehabilitate.

Hockey is such an integral part of the Canadian fabric as the stories of hope, grit and perseverance weave themselves into our hearts they strengthen the fibres of community appreciation.  This story of how an anonymous donor purchased lunch for a hockey team in Nova Scotia and what the team did is an example of what I write. Story here. The New York Times Canada story speaks volumes as well. Read Here.

Trout fishers are all preparing for the first day of trout season on April 15th. There are many tales here on the Island of secret fishing spots, and I would list them, but it would probably be the last time you hear ever from me. Trout fishing is a raucous and serious sport on Prince Edward Island!!

After catching a speeder…
Policeman: “I’m sorry sir but do you know how fast you were going?!”
Speeder: “I was going the same speed as everyone else!”
Policeman: “Ever go fishing?”
Man: “Yeah…”
Policeman: “Ever catch ALL the fish?”

A few blog posts ago, I mentioned a desire and intention to reduce our carbon footprint and thought I would share a bit here. We have stopped using “plastic film wrap” at home and replaced its purpose with a homemade beeswax wrap; it works incredibly well!! (we have produced a DIY to be shared in a future post). 

Over the last two seasons, we have had well over a dozen women with metastatic breast cancer from all over North America use the Gardens of Hope Respite Cottage with their families or friends. This week, I listened to this beautiful story on an inspiring podcast called, Crazy Good Turns. I highly recommend subscribing to this podcast. A 39-year-old woman gets diagnosed with breast cancer, then makes a decision that not only helps her survive — it changes the lives of hundreds of other patients and their families. Listen Here.

A quote I have been thinking about this week…

“Leaders who can identify, hire, and cultivate employees who are humble, hungry, and smart will have a serious advantage over those who cannot. They'll be able to build stronger teams much more quickly and with much less difficulty, and they'll significantly reduce the painful and tangible costs associated with politics, turnover, and morale problems. And employees who can embody these virtues will make themselves more valuable and marketable to any organization that values teamwork.” Patrick M. Lencioni

As a matter of preference,  I like to write while listening to instrumental music. Today, I have been listening to Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartets. Listen Here.

If you have any thoughts that you would like to share with us this weekend, please do so. We love hearing from you. 

We wish you and your family a great weekend and week ahead.

With love from Prince Edward Island.

Sincerely,

Bruce