All Hail Sir Ralph!

I haven't seen my good friend Ralph in quite some time.

He has been laying low lately, facing challenges as we all do in the disabled community.

But Ralph has always been infused with a desire to move forward and never dwell.

And I have truthfully never met an individual who is better at connecting with people and sharing his infectious energy with them.

And on a personal note, Ralph has always encouraged me and believed in my writing and other life efforts.

I jokingly call him my agent.

Thank you Ralph. Appreciate it always.

And the secret to his largely positive outlook? "Always be happy, no matter what the situation".

That can seem like a tall order sometimes.

But true to his endless reading and thirst for knowledge, he is reading a book on that topic right now.

So take care, Ralph my friend. You are an inspiration!



Your Partner In Life

Ballerina Mikaela!

Hi Mikaela!

You look beautiful and ready to brighten up the world with your ballet dancing!

Wow!  If you find something that you love to do in life, you are going to do great!

Auntie Shawna and I are so proud of you!

Here's a song you can dance to at home!

We love you! See you soon!

Uncle Mike

Happy Summer Girls!

Hello Penelope and Mikaela!

Your mom told me that Penelope graduated from Grade 1 and Mikaela graduated from Daycare!

Congratulations to you both!

Because I have a feeling that you have too much energy for daycare right Mikaela?

And Penelope, once you graduate from Grade 1, you're off to bigger and better things!

Auntie Shawna and I can't wait to see you next week!

We love you both so very very much!

We love summer just as much as you guys do!

And we know that you guys and your mom and dad have been travelling a lot.

And you probably missed any fireworks for Canada Day.

We did too!

So how about we watch some now?

Mississauga fireworks and Edmonton fireworks?

Here we go!

See you soon!

Uncle Mike

Marin's Story

As we begin a new year in Alberta, our government is telling us that "things are looking up."

But the sad fact is that things don't look up for everyone.

I just happened upon this video as part of my nightly surfing.

And it hit me like a freight train.

You may say that Ohio isn't Alberta, so why worry?

There are two reasons why that point of view really sucks.

First, the video makes clear that Marin was a very loved and loving person who had a lot going for her, as well as parents who loved her to bits.

Her parents are obviously heartbroken. Hopefully they will realize after a while that they did their very best, and that Marin's death is in no way their fault

As evidenced by the "letter to heroin" she wrote while trying to beat her addiction, Marin clearly did not want to die.

But she did.

And that is tragic.

The other thing is that I am sure that if we all sit down and think about it, we all know someone who has battled addiction in some form right here in Alberta.

Over the last couple of years, we have had a fentanyl overdose issue in this province.

So we know it can happen here too.

This has definitely inspired me to do some research into signs of overdose in case I may be of help if needed.

Your Partner In Life