A Year Has Gone By ...

It was one year today.

Last year, on this day, I met Dr. B and I had a prostate biopsy. Not much fun but I thank God I did that! I am so grateful that the right people were in the right place at the right time.

Gido

Today is My A's Birthday

Today is A's belly bottom birthday! Happy birthday Sweetheart and I hope you have a great day in front of you. You are my one true friend, companion, mentor and lover. I am so happy our paths crossed many years ago in Saskatoon.

Last week when I was in Saskatoon for a business meeting, I passed by Grasswood ESSO which is located on the south end of town on Highway 11. I had an immediate flashback to the fall of 1977. That was the year I met you and I was in that "wonderful state" of love. I remembered the evening that you and I drove out the the very same station to share one of the station's famous cinnamon buns. If I remember correctly it was cold fall night but there was no snow on the ground. However, I do remember correctly the feeling I had. I felt wonderful to be with you. I felt "complete" and I remember thinking to my self that I wished that evening would never go away. I also remember thinking I wished I could have just "gone away" with you that evening. We could have driven somewhere, anywhere; just to be together. It was a good thing my 1976 Datsun was not a reliable car!

Happy Birthday A ... thankyou for taking me on a wonderful ride for so many years from that night at Grasswood ESSO.

With all my love,

Harvey

Happy Family Day in Saskatchewan!

What a nice surprise I had on Friday. People in the office were talking about a long weekend and I wasn't sure what was happening. Easter was a long ways away. Then someone told me tomorrow is a new paid holiday in Saskatchewan. It is a February break for families and a way to break up the winter. Good thing someone told me or else I would have been in the office tomorrow wondering were everyone was.

After being away for most of 2007, it is nice to back at work. I am really enjoying the challenges of the new position. There are great people in my new office. I am so impressed by the HR department of the company. They are very friendly and welcoming to the new folks. I felt like part of the team immediately.

Our last physical ties to Nova Scotia are coming to an end. The house ownership at 40 Lakeview Ave was officially transferred on January 31st. I am sure the new folks will enjoy the neighbourhood a lot. We had the best neighbours; Nova Scotians are my kind of folks. I know my "A" misses her friends a lot. It is for that reason, we consider moving back when I get the all clear from my doctors in a couple of years. We will see. For now, I am enjoying just being here and on the "right side of the grass".

I am going to enjoy tomorrow and will hopefully my little guys/girls will spend time with us. Happy Family Day everyone.

I am not a big fan of motels

This is the first business trip in my new career and although I enjoy getting out and seeing old friends and meeting new ones, I am not a big on sleeping alone. I would rather be with "A" and Max during the night.

Yesterday I met a few people that I first met a few years ago. I told them about the monster and it seemed to take their breath away. I wasn't sure they were afraid of me, but I think I hit a nerve! They were silent for a minute and then they shared their personal story with the monster. It was wonderful to share personal information at this level!

Today I am thinking about my good friend Jim in Dartmouth and my friend Ken in Regina. I pray they are ok and finding strength. That is (I mean praying) the best thing I can do for friends.

Gido

I must be finding some balance now ...

This is Sunday, February 03, 2008. It is fairly early in the morning for a Sunday and "A" and I have having our coffee and each of us are sitting at the kitchen table sending each other e-mails! This sounds silly and maybe it is. But instead of reading some of the jokes we have received on e-mail, we just send them to our hotmail accounts and they come back to to a computer only 1 metre away! She reads the joke and laughs. Then we talk about the joke.

What a nice way to spend a bit of time with "A". It was a year ago that I received a letter from Dr. B's office. It was a note that I was scheduled for a biospy of the prostate gland. This was a start to an interesting "non-normal" year for me and "A". It was easy to write to my blog ... ideas just came to me. I think that is what happens when the mind becomes very focused on a problem. I found myself closer to God, the Utimate Boss! I found little fear in writing about my issues.

Now that I back at work and falling into a routine. I am finding balance and finding it tougher to write to the blog. But I will keep trying. I am pretty grateful my life is becoming a bit boring.

The Gift of Mentorship

In early January I received a call from an old (young) friend who came home to Regina for a few days. Brent W was home from Peru were he was working as an engineer for a large global petroleum related company. He came and spent a coffee break with me and told me about Peru, the Rain Forest, gave me a picture (I will cherish) and filled me in on his work. He has grown so much as a man.

My God it was good to see him. He is a farm boy from western Saskatchewan and he asked me many years ago to become his "engineering mentor". I was (and still am) so honor to be associated with this good man. We spent a lot time together before I went to Nova Scotia and I was so pleased to be asked by him to attend the "secret" Iron Ring cerimony in Regina in 2004. These special occasions don't happen many times in life.

I am not sure why I was thinking of Brent this morning, but it really doesn't matter. He is one of those friends that are many kms away and reads my rantings once in a while. He is one the many people that has helped me deal with the issues of cancer recovery. I believe he is one of the tools that God, the Utimate Boss, has used to help me. For that I am grateful.

Thank you for making the special effort Brent ... hope all is well in Peru!