Change

I apologize for not blogging in a few weeks.. the end of school is a busy time. My goal was to blog once a week and I am determined to stick with that goal.

At 5:30 this morning I said good bye to a dear friend. She and her husband were instrumental in getting our family connected when we first moved to Red Deer nearly 2 years ago. A few months ago when she shared that they were leaving I was devastated. Making real friends as an adult is much more challenging then making friends when your 8. This person made a point of introducing us to lots of different people and made a point of spending time with us, showing us around, sharing all of their favourite hot spots, restaurants, etc. Truly they were a Godsend.

Within a month or two a relative that I am very close to called and told me that her and her husband were moving to Hong Kong.

Everyone knows that change isn't easy. We cannot avoid change but we can decide what our reaction and attitude towards it will be. I have heard it be said that it takes either a minute, an hour or a day to process change. I know that for me it's a day. I need a full day to process situations. That full day usually involves going to sleep and waking up (either a nap or overnight). Because I know this about myself I don't allow myself to feel pressure about making decisions right away. Over the last couple of years, I have worked though managing stressful situations better and working towards controlling my emotions. It's a working progress.

It takes a lot more to stress me out now a days. For me a big part of that has been learning to let things go.. to show people grace when they do something I don't like and seeing past comments to the heart of the person. I value the relationships in my life and want to be that person that is not easily offended..(that is my goal this year) and one that is quick to forgive and make others feel like they matter. At the end of the day isn't that what we all really want?

Thought for the day: It takes a lot of work to hate someone. Forgiveness is very freeing. Try it sometime.

No more "Lush" for this girl

This afternoon I was strolling Whyte ave in Edmonton with my hubby. As I walk pass Lush cosmetics I see this poster in their window. To say I was wild was perhaps an understatement. I sent the pic to my friend Jon who kindly posted it on twitter for me.

Their website shows a very (one sided) flashy video about the "most destructive project on earth"

I also posted the picture on my facebook and got some really great feedback from people who work and reside in Wood Buffalo and others who don't live anywhere near there but support Alberta's Oilsands.

Before I share some of their feedback I want to first say that I value our environment and think we need to each do our part to preserve it for future generations. Secondly I want to say that Alberta's economy depends on this oil. Without the revenue from this resource we could expect to have a provincial sales tax of roughly 16% plus the 5% GST.

It irates me that a soap company that claims their products are all natural are now on a "soapbox" preaching to the world with misinformation about the "tar sands" .

Rob from Fort McMurray said " People are so misinformed. The Dirty Tarsands account for less than 1% of the worlds carbon emissions, where is this info in the video? Coal is the dirtiest energy source in the world, and the US is the biggest coal user and supplier! We don't have an alternative energy source! There are initiatives to clean up the environment, but perspective would be nice!! Level headed conversation, accurate information and logical solutions! When did all reason go out the window?

Mark from Edmonton writes " Another case of the uneducated trying to educate the uneducated. Yes, tearing down trees, digging holes and carbon emissions are bad, but hundreds of thousands of people out of work (remember most of downtown Calgary is employed because of oilsands and most of Nisku and Fort Saskatchewan not to mention the energy traders in places like New York and Toronto) is bad, and the financial collapse of most of Canada would ensue. And let's not single out the oilsands. The coal mines / power plants around Wabamun pollute more than the oilsands as does the PRB (power river basin) in Wyoming. If it wasn't for mining and energy generation in general all those environmentalists wouldn't have Mac computers to produce videos, iPhones to tweet on or Prius's to drive. If it's not mined, it's grown.

and finally.. Leanne from Red Deer said " Have they heard of BP??"

I believe strongly in Alberta's oilsands. I urge you all to approach this subject for discussion based on factual information considering both the environment and the number of Canadians that benefit from it. Really, it's all about balance.

Who's your Hero?

As I scroll though the latest tweets on twitter this morning I see the phrase " Tell me who your hero's are".

Wow. Nothing like getting the brain going early in the morning. This was most definitely an challenging thing to come up with.

My first thought was my friend Deb. Although she has some very impressive political achievements under her belt, the things that I admire about her are too long to list. To name a few I love that she is as real as they get. If you don't want a truthful answer, don't ask Deb. She never apologizes for who she is and is not the type to whine about her figure or try to make her body into something it's not (a size zero). She is positive and encouraging and has the most amazing sense of humor. Although we have not spent a ton of time together I always look forward to our chats either on the phone or by email.

Thinking about hero's is an interesting thing. Our first thought is someone famous perhaps. Ghandi, Mother Teresa, The Dalai Lama, maybe a celebrity even.... lets think a little closer to home. Everyone has a story.... when I think of my friends and family and coworkers and acquaintances there is one "hero" in my circle that I want to mention.

There is a gem of a lady that I met last fall. She is (not by her choosing) a single mother of 5 children. Her life is not easy. She works, volunteers both with her kids activities and in other things she enjoys. After having 5 kids and suddenly becoming single she went back to school to learn some administrative skills and through this long process has emerged a positively vibrant, strong, and determined woman. She invests real quality time with her kids. A line she always uses as a guide with raising her kids is " more is caught then taught". After many years of single life she is getting married and is looking forward to being married again. No matter what she deals with in the course of a day she is always smiling and always lights up a room when she enters it. I miss her when she is not around. Her energy, humor and outlook on life is addicting. I love you girl!!

In my world, hero's have certain traits. So perhaps you are one of them and we have not met yet.

A hero breaks the cycle of negative and destructive behavior in their family lines.

A hero does not let the past define their future.

A hero admits when they don't have all the answers and knows how to ask for help.

A hero desires to be a better person and strives everyday to do so.

A hero puts relationships ahead of things.

A hero knows how to say "I'm sorry I was wrong".

A hero is a voice for those that don't have one.

Be a hero. Every hero thing you do really does change some one's life for the better.