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Sometimes
All We Need Is A Hug…
Editorial by Robert Kirwan
The other day I was in the process
of lighting my barbecue when my son and his wife pulled
into the driveway. My two-year old granddaughter was
taken out of her car seat and placed on the pavement
where she stood looking up the driveway at me for a
couple of seconds. Then she began walking slowly towards
me and when she was a few steps away, raised her arms as
she always does and ran into my arms so that I could
pick her up. We hugged each other for a couple of
minutes and then I brought her inside where she
proceeded to go through the same process with her
grandmother. When I went back to the barbecue, I
couldn’t believe how wonderful I felt after that
brief, emotional interlude. It is too bad that we get so
wrapped up in our daily living that we forget the
tremendous power of a hug and what it can do to pick up
a person’s spirit.
For example, have
you ever tried to do something good for someone that
turned into a big mess? Often our good intentions take a
turn for the worse and everything we do goes wrong. We
get into a state of panic and anxiety, totally confused
and frustrated with no idea of how to get out of the
predicament. Have you ever wondered how you got through
those situations? The following story may give you an
idea of what happened.
One
Saturday morning six-year-old Brandon decided to fix his
parents pancakes for breakfast. He found a big bowl and
spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the
cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour container,
spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour
into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of
milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the
floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.
Brandon
was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted
this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it
was getting very bad. He didn’t know what to do next.
Should he put it all into the oven or on the stove?
But he didn’t know how the stove worked.
Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix
and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to
the floor. Frantically, he tried to clean up this
monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his
pajamas white and sticky. And just then, he saw Dad
standing at the door.
Big
crocodile tears swelled up in
Brandon
’s
eyes. All he wanted to do was something good, but he’d
made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming
- maybe even
a spanking. But his father just watched him. Then,
walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son,
hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white
and sticky in the process.
Isn’t
that just like life? Think of the times you have tried
to do something good, but it turned into a mess. You try
to plan something special in your marriage and it turns
sour. We insult a good friend. We can’t stand our job.
Our health takes a turn for the worse.
As
adults we often feel like just standing there in tears
because we can’t think of anything else to do or say.
Just like
Brandon
,
we expect a scolding or something worse.
And
then, just like
Brandon
’s
father, someone comes along to make us feel better.
Whether it is a verbal hug or a physical hug, that
someone special picks us up, loves us and forgives us.
Sometimes, it is the very someone we have hurt or
insulted who is there for us.
Next
time someone you care about is standing there with
crocodile tears, or is floundering helplessly, not
knowing where to turn, reach out and pick him or her up.
Scolding or punishing will not do any good. What a
person needs is someone who understands and is willing
to pick him up and get him started over again. Children
need this kind of encouragement. Adults need it even
more.
Don’t
be discouraged when things don’t go according to plan.
Remember that it is the intent that counts. Whenever
your intention is to do something good, the results can
never be bad. Above all, when you have a chance to show
a loved one that you care and understand, don’t
underestimate the power of a hug or a simple touch of
your hand.
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| ROBERT KIRWAN'S
FOOD FOR THOUGHT |
| For a
complete selection of stories and editorials that will
help you to reflect upon life's priorities, inspiring
you to take on the daily challenges you face very day... |
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Valley East Lions' Charity
Days
Want to send you and a guest on an all inclusive
Trip for 2 to CUBA!!!!
(+$500 in spending cash) |
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| The best part is that it doesn't
cost you anything to try and win! All you need is the winning
combination! Here's how it works:
From now until September 9th, 2006, several Valley East
businesses, merchants and organizations will be giving random
combination codes to their valued customers. A list of those
businesses will be announced in The Valley Vision and will be
posted on Valley East Today. There are 5000 codes available.
There are 16 combination locks located in various
stores/businesses. If you receive an envelope containing a
random combination, please bring it to those locations where
locks are located. If your combination opens one of the locks,
CONGRATULATIONS! You've made it one step closer...
On September 9th, 2006, all lucky winning combination
holders (remember there's only a maximum of 16 people who will
make it this far!) will be invited to the Centennial Arena as
part of our Valley East Lions' Charity Days festivities. (In
the event that nobody opens any of the 16 locks, non-winning
combinations, which will be retained by the vendors, will be
put into a drum, and a winner will be drawn from there.
At the Valley East Lions' Charity Days, each person will be
given another random combination code, one of which will open
the treasure chest containing a TRIP FOR TWO TO CUBA!!!
Please support your local businesses and come out to try
the combinations. If you have any questions, contact Marcel
Servais at 969-5898.
Proceeds from this draw will benefit Palliative Care. |
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 Coach
Dan Ross Writes About The "Dream Season" For Bran-Kor
Midgets
"WHAT A TEAM!"
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 The
Valley East Minor Hockey BranKor Midgets had this year what could be called
a "Dream Season".
In addition to three gold medals at the Verner, Capreol and Renegades
tournaments, they also tried their skills at the Scarborough Select
tournament, winning 2 of 3 games, scoring 25 goals for and 5 goals against
during the weekend.
Most importantly, they brought the NEHL Major Midget A Division
Championships home to Valley East for the first time in twelve years.
As their coach, I saw very early on that these boys understood what
playing as a team was all about. There was no selfishness and it was clear
that an assist was as good as a goal.
Supported by solid goaltending, the boys played an excellent defensive
style of hockey, waiting patiently for their opportunities to capitalize on
mistakes, then striking offensively.
The boys were committed and dedicated, rarely missing games and
practices. It should be noted that the character demonstrated by these
players, I believe is a direct reflection of the ongoing involvement and
continued interest of their parents in their sons activities. The parents
followed the team to every game and tournament. In fact, thanks to Mr. Frank
Cameron everyone on the team also received a video tape to have a record of
the season.
In closing, I want to say that it took a committed coaching staff to be
successful this year. I want to thank my wife, Linda Flintoff who was the
assistant manager of the team, for her ongoing support and advise; Mr.
Bob Bellerose, manager, for his hard work; Fran Bellerose for her fund
raising efforts; Mr. Bob Bertrand, trainer, and Mr. Scott Forbes, assistant
coach for their valuable insights throughout the year.
A special thanks goes out to Mr. & Mrs. Claude and Carole Legault for
their sponsorship and contributions throughout the year.
What a team! Congratulations to all players, parents, and coaching staff!
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| BUYING A PURSE IS
NOT AN EASY DECISION TODAY - JUST ASK LAURNA... |
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 "Buying a purse today is not an easy matter,"
explains Laurna Lynn Mills, Manager of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre
location of Sole Mates Family Footwear. "That is why we carry such a
wide variety of handbags, clutches and wallets in the store."
Laurna pointed out that there are three main reasons why a person will
want to buy a purse:
FASHION BAGS, or what Laurna calls "Fun Bags", are the
kind of handbags that a person may simply purchase "just for the fun
of it".
"When a women considers buying a fashion bag, she is usually looking for a way to pick her spirits up. It feels good to buy a new purse
that matches your personality or that matches the way you feel at the time," explained Laurna who is shown holding a Louis Vaton
Replica in the photo above. "I know some women who have dozens of
these fashion bags in their closets and they just take the one that suits
the way they feel at the time. We have them ranging in price from $14.99
to $49.99, so they are affordable and just plain 'fun' to buy."
FINE LEATHER BAGS, are much more durable. The ones that are carried by Sole Mates Family
Footwear are made by Jonelle, Cabrelli, Bagatique and Fiona. "The
fine-leather bags are softer, more durable and last longer than other
leathers that are of an inferior quality," stated Laurna. "Even
the hardware is a superior quality. Women tend to have one or two of these
purses that they use most of the time. They are a bit more practical and
tend to fit in where ever you go. We sell a lot of these that range from
$39 to as high as $129."
EVENING CLUTCHES are the kind of bags that one would purchase
for special events such as parties, graduations, weddings, etc. "We
have a rainbow of colours and styles of these kind of purses that will
match any outfit that you are wearing," said Laurna. "This is a
necessary accessory that adds brilliance to an evening dress. If you are
going anywhere fancy, you just have to pick the right handbag and we have
them ranging in price from $19.99 to $29.99."
Whether you are buying a purse to match your personality, your
lifestyle or your evening dress, it appears as if you can't go wrong by
stopping by to talk to Laurna or the rest of the staff or just to look
over their stock. Over 1000 satisfied customers in Valley East and Capreol
are already carrying handbags that were once on display at Sole Mates
Family Footwear.
Visit the Sole Mates web site at www.solematesfamilyfootwear.ca |
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| Jean
Beaupre Strikes Gold In The Hills At Clearview
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 Jean
Beaupre, on the left, has been playing Men’s Night at the Clearview Golf
Club for over 16 years, and to his knowledge, there has never been a
hole-in-one scored in all of that time.
On
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
, Jean used his seven iron to loft the ball 139 yards towards the flag on
Number 17, just as he has done so often before. This time, however, the
results were different than ever before. This time, the ball took two
hops, hit the pin, and came to rest in the cup. Not only did Jean now have
the distinction of being the first person ever known to have scored a hole
in one on Men’s Night, he is the first person to claim the prize of
$5000 which is offered to anyone who accomplishes this difficult task.
In the photo with Jean is Ken Kauffeldt, one of the players who
witnessed the event. The other member of the group that night was Laurie
Jones of Capreol. With Jean and Ken is Stephanie Gobeil, Golf Operations
Manager of Clearview, who presented Jean with his $5000 prize.
Ironically, Jean has recorded only one other hole-in-one in his life,
at the Old Chelmsford course, and Ken was with him on that day as well.
Men’s Night at Clearview is held every Tuesday beginning at
3 p.m.
The cost is $13 for the green fee; $5 for prizes and $5 per person for the
use of a cart if you wish. Ladies’ Night is every Wednesday. The hole in
one prize is available every Men’s and Ladies’ Night. It can be
won…just ask Jean.
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| Long
Distance Calling???? Interested in Voice Over Internet Technology??? Need Your
Computer Repaired??? |
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 Edgar
Lajambe, is a 30-year old life-long resident of Hanmer. His passion for
computers and information technology goes back to a high school co-op
placement he had in 1994 with a company called the AMS Group. When he
graduated from
St. Charles
College
he discovered that there were a lot of people who kept coming to him for
computer repairs and consulting, so he formed his own company, Valley
Computers & Consulting.
When
VoIP (Voice over Internet Technology) was first introduced to
Sudbury
, Edgar saw this as the future of communication and immediately jumped on
board; studying everything there is to know about the technology. As a
result, he formed another division of his company, called VCCNet.ca
Internet Solutions, which deals with long-distance discount calling and
the use of the internet for communication purposes.
Edgar
has joined forces with another locally owned firm, Infocom Canada Business
Consultants Inc. which operates Valley East Today, a marketing &
public relations company which publishes a community web site and weekly
online news magazine.
“The
cost of long distance calling has always been a detriment to people living
in the north,” Edgar explained when asked why he feels so strongly about
the communication services he now provides to the community. “I know so
many of my friends and acquaintances who have children or parents living
in other parts of
Ontario
. They would love the chance to talk to them more often by phone, but long
distance charges really cut into the budget; especially for seniors who
would love to talk to grandchildren, or parents who have children away at
university or college.”
“Once
people find out how easy it is to switch over to my plan, and they realize
that there is absolutely no risk or long-term commitment – that all they
get is the freedom to talk on the phone to anyone in Ontario for as long
as they want for one low price of $15.95 a month, they are sold,” Edgar
went on.
Edgar also repairs and programs
individual computers for both commercial and residential use. You can drop
in and see him at his office in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, or he
will come directly to your home or office.
Whatever
you are looking for, give Edgar a call at 670-4039 or you can go to his web site at www.vccnet.ca
and see how he can meet your needs.
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