Something that I have been thinking about quite a bit lately is gratitude. My thoughts on this topic started in September when a few things happened in my life. 

First, I crossed over the barrier of 60 years. It actually took me a year to figure this out but that is just denial. Second, my wife and I purchased a home in Longview which has an element of permanency. Third, my father is getting older, almost 90. Fourth, I started working intensely with a couple of people at Eden Valley First Nation to help them read. 

So here is a list of what I’m grateful for this year:

1. The Ability to Read

It is hard to believe that in this day and age and in Canada that there are people that can’t read. But it is true. A year ago, my wife started working as a nurse at Stoney Trail Wellness Centre in Eden Valley. She introduced me to a few people and I ended up being an assistant instructor to teach reading for the month of June. Vera Goodman was the primary teacher. We had about 20 students and 15 “graduated” from the course that we taught. I learned a tremendous amount about reading and how to teach others to read. Vera has some techniques that are rather unorthodox but really work. Aspects of her approach, Making Sense Approach to Reading, are outlined on her website, ReadingWings. She is brilliant and it was a thrill of a lifetime to work with her and learn from her.

Here’s the thing. There are many people in Eden Valley who have difficulty reading. I’m now working with two individuals in their 40s who would love to be able to drive but they can’t because they don’t have a driver’s licence. They don’t have a licence because of 3 reasons. They need to pass the learner’s test but they can’t because they can’t read. Of course, there is someone at registries who can read the questions for them but they can’t study because they can’t read and there are no courses or teachers nearby. Even getting to registries is difficult because the nearest registry is in Turner Valley and that is about 40 minutes away. There is no bus service. Sure they can ask a relative but that costs $20 or more (spare cash is tight). Then at the registry office, they have to use a computer but they don’t have computers at home. Some homes in Eden Valley have a connection to the Internet but many don’t. Why bother if you have never had the opportunity to learn to read or learn to use a computer?

The bottom line is that I am grateful that I can read and I’m trying to help a few people read and get their driver’s licence. It’s going to take a while but I’m confident that they can do it. 

2. The Ability to Drive

Which brings me to driving. I take this skill for granted every single day. When I want to go somewhere I grab my keys and my wallet (with my driver’s licence). I hop into my Jeep Wrangle which has insurance, gas, 4-wheel drive and winter tires. I start it up and go wherever I want. A while ago I drove from Longview to Canmore (about 2 hours) to have dinner with my son, Dan. The drive was in a blizzard and I loved it. For parts of the journey, I had to white knuckle my way around huge trucks that were spraying the road with plumes of snow but I just closed my eyes and accelerated. Dan and I had a wonderful dinner at The Trough.

I’m grateful for the ability to drive and for a car that works in the snow, of which we seem to have plenty this year. 

3. The Chance to Ride Horses

I used to be a camp counselor and I lead trail rides for many summers. But that was a long time ago. I rode a horse a few years ago with my friend, Harley Sitting Eagle, from Siksika First Nation. In September, I rode with my friends, Wayne and Darrel Wesley, from Eden Valley. We had a wonderful day trip into the back-country. 

I’m grateful for the best animals for transporting people, horses. I hope to do a lot more riding next year. 

4. The Chance to Travel

Not everyone can travel. Some people don’t have the money to spare. Some aren’t healthy enough. Some are afraid. I have money. I am healthy. I’m not afraid. A couple of years ago, my wife and I went to her home country, Botswana. I met her relatives. They celebrated our marriage. We had a party. Josie was “O montle” (beautiful). I had a tremendous time. 

And now we are going again. I’m grateful for relatives in distant places that I can visit.

5. A Half-Decent Business Partner

Age of Gladiators

Notice that there is no picture of him. That is because there aren’t any. I do have a business partner. He tells me his name is Damon but he changes the last name every couple of years. I’ve never met him. I have no idea where he lives or if he has a family. I’m not even sure he is real. 

However, whether he is real or not is irrelevant, he is incredible. He gets stuff gets done. Websites for our clients appear. Rankings on Google improve. Traffic to websites increases. Measures for our clients get added to Revenue Catalyst. Bills get paid (sadly). Clients tell me his work is awesome. I never hear complaints from clients about him (they just complain about me). AND money keeps showing up in my bank account. Amazing!

The more I think about it, the more I think that “Damon” (or whatever name he uses) is just an AI program. He once told me that he was a gamer and that he had started to develop and program his own online games (hence the image above). This statement just confirmed my suspicion that he isn’t real and that “he” is just some AI program somewhere in the vaults of Google. 

Well, whatever you are. Thank you Damon for all that you do. 

6. An Education

Between my wife and me, we have 7 degrees. I have 2 so that tells you who’s the smart one in our family. I digress. 

When I think about this, I have something that many people don’t have. I had the opportunity. I lived in Edmonton and later in Calgary. Both cities have universities. My father and mother supported me. Friends encouraged me. My ex-wife was supportive. Being hungry motivated me. My point is that I had a lot of help to get an education.  

All I had to do was pay tuition and show up for classes and exams. Okay, maybe getting an education involves a bit more than that. I had to sit on my butt for hours and listen to professors blab on about esoteric topics that seemed irrelevant at the time. I had to read, a lot. I had to write, lines and lines. I had to get along with other students, who were idiots, for group projects. I had to memorize and memorize - all of which I have forgotten. Who needs to memorize so much when you can find information with 10 keystrokes and a click of a button (Assuming you know how to use a computer. And you have a connection to the Internet. And that you can read.)

The biggest benefit of an education is that I can think. I think therefore I am. It is a gift. I am grateful for an education. 

7. Karibu, the Cat 

This is me and our cat, Karibu. Her name is the Swahili word for “welcome”. In Tanzania, when you visit someone's home they will greet you at the door and say Karibu. Literally, it means “come closer”. It is a wonderful greeting. I miss using it. Which is why named our cat, Karibu. I always feel welcomed when I come home. 

She gallops around the house like a horse.

She picks at her food and ours. Seriously. We can put a bit of fish on a plate for her and she will sniff it and them come sit on our lap with her head poking over the tabletop, waiting for food. If we don’t give her any, she will jump up on the table and start sniffing our plates. Very annoying.

But we love her and we are grateful for her.

8. Friends

I have so many friends that I can’t even start to list them all. I have old friends that I have known for a long time and I have new friends that I have gotten to know since moving to Longview. 

This picture is from the recent Christmas dinner hosted by the Recreation Committee here in Longview, last weekend. The dinner was held at the nearby community hall. The place was jam-packed, both upstairs and downstairs. I cooked a turkey. The event was fun.

I’m grateful for friends. Thank you for your friendship. I see you. I hear you. I appreciate you.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.