I was working for a major oil company which was involved in drilling wells in the Canadian north. I was in Edmonton, Alberta with my family when I got a call that there was an emergency on one of the rigs. I was to go to the airport to fly Tom (tool push) to the rig.

It was a nice day, in the fall with the leaves turning. High clouds, good visibility and I anticipated a no problem flight which is a common mentality. Tom and I met at the airport, climbed into a European built twin engine aircraft on wheels. Tom was alone with a small bag. I cranked up the engines and headed for Peace River where I would fuel up. That would give me enough gas to go to the drill site and back.

 The flight was uneventful, there was little talk because it was noisy in the cockpit. This airplane was a tail dragger, and like all aircraft there is a trim tab on the elevators which are there to assist in making the control of an airplane  easier. As the aircraft is put in the approach mode and as flaps are lowered the aircraft tends to pitch down. The resulting forces can be trimmed out with the use of the trim tab.

On my approach into Peace River I started to put out the flaps, the nose pitched down and I trimmed out the pressures on the elevators with the trim tab wheel. On landing, I put out all the flap, and trimmed out the forces to the point that the trim wheel was all the way back. I executed a nice three point landing and taxied to the terminal where I took on fuel.

I taxied into the ramp, got some fuel on board and in that Tom was in a hurry, I quickly got the aircraft moving toward the takeoff runway. There are certain things to be done before launching into the air which means there are actions on a checklist to do. I hurridly went through the checklist and turned onto the runway.

I applied power and as soon as there was a bit of speed I could tell that I had not reset the trim wheel to the take off postion. The aircraft was trimmed in a nose up attitude and because I was light, the airplane was in the air almost immediately. No problem, I simply put my hand on the trim wheel to set it. It was jammed! I tried again and again to move the trim wheel. It wouldn’t move. Meanwhile, I’m in the air, at high power, and the control column is held as far forward as I could. I tried to bleed off power, but as soon as I did, the nose pitched up. I was scrambling to come up with a solution, but there wasn’t much I could do.

I nursed the airplane around to land. How I did it a I don’t know except whatever I did I did very carefully. Finally I was on final approach and landed without flap, going very, very fast. As I rumbled down the runway, I very carefully bled off the power, the plane slowed down and after the high power and vibration were gone, I was able to set the trim wheel. I taxied to the button of the runway, and with the trim set, I calmly took off and the trip was successfully completed. However, internally, I wasn’t that calm.

SUMMARY:  We have all taken a ruler or a pencil during an idle moment, and balanced it on a finger, so that it is truly balanced, and it remains horizontal, not falling. That is called the Center of Gravity or C of G.

What happened was that when in the air I was able to maintain the C of G by keeping the power on and the control column forward. If there had been anybody or freight in the back seat, the C of G would have been too far forward, the aircraft would have pitched up, stalled and crashed. I don’t think my passenger knew what was going on. Carelessness can have disastrous results. An experience I’ve never forgotten. Is there a moral to this story? Comments?

I always had this perception that being humble was the opposite of being proud and in truth it is. I have remained humble however, as I matured, reality dawned on me that I had pride in my heart. Sometimes, it would take a while before I realized it and I am glad that it was never too late to suffer the consequences.  I have come to be more aware at what pride is all about. Many times, in whatever sect, or religious affiliation we  belong to, we are admonished to beware of pride. We may think that pride is being  arrogant, boastful, conceited, self-centered or haughty. These are just the results of being prideful.

Pride is essentially competitive in nature. The sense of being competitive is instilled early in our youth today. Entrepreneurs and business men and women are classic examples of competitive persons. Athletes are too. When competitiveness is placed in its proper perspective then it is a positive attribute. However, if a person’s nature to be competitive in almost everything, then there is the potential of pride becoming a culprit. The proud make every man their enemy by competing with their accomplishments,  intelligence, opinions, talents, works, material gains, stature in society. The desire to be on top becomes to be top priority, forgetting that there are more important matters that need to be achieved.

The most common manifestation of pride is selfishness. “ME” is the center of everything – self-conceit, self-pity, self-fulfillment, self-gratification and self-seeking. A person who is proud is easily offended and hold grudges for a long time. They are the persons who think that the world owe them. Swallowing one’s pride is hardest with them. What people think of them are their utmost priority. They depend on others to know of their value or importance. Their self esteem is gauged by their position or stature in the realms of a competitive world. The proud persons want to be on top of the other. The successes of others become their failures.

Pride is very evident in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. There is that notion that those who are proud are those that are on top, like the rich and those who belong to high society who we perceive to be looking down at the rest of us. I came to realize that there is also pride at those who are at the other end. They have a common ailment and that is backbiting, coveting, envying, faultfinding, gossiping, living beyond their means, jealous, murmuring, ungrateful and unforgiving. These are all forms of pride.

There is no such thing as righteous pride. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the other person.  The proud are defensive in-order to justify their frailties and failures. Pride causes a person to be hard hearted  and advice and counsel are not welcome. Pride is a stumbling block and serves as a deterrent  to positive changes that are necessary in one’s life. The proud have a hard time in accepting the truth because this means that  they are wrong. Humiliation is unacceptable to them.

This damning sin affects relationships adversely. Husbands and wives, parent and child, employer and employee, friends, teacher and student and even neighbors. As I read the Scriptures and of the Gospel, I realize the  many times I had been proud and how much pride had cost me. I firmly believe that  if I persisted in becoming proud, I will be destroyed and damned.

Pride’s antidote is humility. We can choose to be humble in many ways. We can choose to conquer pride by receiving chastisement and counsel wholeheartedly. We can choose to be humble knowing that being right is not always proper and becoming. We must choose to be humble and knowing that there is God, the Holy Father who has designed a great plan for us. All we have to do is put Him first in our lives and be able to submit to His will. I know that He is anticipating our surrender and our humility for He has abundance in store for us. 

We are all products of our upbringing,  in some way or other, or perhaps completely. In our formative years we learned much, some good, some not so good. I was told the other day that the years of development to the age of five are extremely critical, and that by eight years, a child is pretty well branded with what life will probably become regarding behavior. When I was in my pre-teen years I made the mistake of talking back  to my mother. She responded with a resounding slap across my face. Needless to say I didn’t do that again. Even though I was beyond eight years of age, I still had some learning and adjustments to deal with, as we all have to.

Considering the times we are in, we find many, and perhaps ourselves bending to the notions of others, our family, our friends, our politicians or whoever. The cultural progressives are saying we shouldn’t say God in public places, that we shouldn’t say Merry Christmas, we can’t pray in public forums, the children aren’t able to recite the Pledge of Alligence and on it goes. The era of political correctness is upon us, and I submit we are losing ground in maintaining the Christian/Judeo principles that grew the United States and Canada are being eroded before our eyes.

Our lives are made up of many decisions, on a daily basis. In most cases we are where we are because of the decisions made. We all have made good and bad decisions, that is part of the human condition. As we go along we make friends, our families develop, we deal with our personal demons, we deal with our happy times. Along the way, we might even acquire habits that we don’t like, we might run into a situation that is unfair, as in these times, there might be a political situation that is not what we think is best for us or our community.

We all have been born with a sense of what is right and wrong (conscience)  and that is what will help us to make changes in our lives. It is the aid that can help us make a stand  about something that we feel strongly about. Be it personal or social. Stand up for your faith, stand up for your community, stand up for yourself to make a necessary change in your life. To stand up for a principle requires dedication, determination and a concentration for what you want to do. We all know that these modifications don’t come easy. If you want to lose weight, it doesn’t come easy, but you have to really want to do it, desperately you want to lose weight.

Stand up for that something, work, pray, dedicate yourself to the outcome you want so badly. In terms of the universe, you and I might be insignificant, but in our own little universe, we are very significant. Love yourself, do what is best for you in achievng the goals you want to and then when you are successful, reach out to help others. Service to others is a great blessing to you and the person(s) you want to help. Stand up for what you want, what you believe in. Go forth and conquer.

Migrating to Canada at the age of fifty was an unexpected adventure. I must admit that when I was younger,  I dreamed of being able to go overseas. Who would not wish to go overseas considering the many opportunities that were in store? My dream remained at the background because I believed that I had to raise my three beautiful children and not be an absentee parent. It was a choice I made and I never regretted it. Life was quite an adventure and these treasures are now grown ups and able to fend for themselves.

I know that the older I get, I realize that one’s attitude can break or make life. I believe that the attitude of one person is more important than money, successes or failures, the history or the past. I know I cannot change my past nor can I change other’s past. I cannot change the way other people will act in a certain manner. I cannot change my appearance or the appearance of others. One thing is sure, I can embrace an attitude of acceptance and openness.

Attitude is a choice we have to make everyday in our lives. Dictionary.com defines attitude as a manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, esp. of the mind. Everyday we choose to make a stand about issues that besets ourselves, partner or spouse, workplace, family, community and country. We are faced with decisions to make in our daily grind. We can either be positive or negative. Whatever attitude we embrace or have to embrace is a matter of choice.

It is interesting to note that Dictionary.com also defines attitude as a  position of the body or manner of carrying oneself. I remember a churchmate whom I heard to be seriously ill.  I was surprised to see her that Sunday morning in church because she looked beautiful and refreshing . She even taught us in Sunday school and if you do not know her personally, you would not realize that she was not feeling well. That Sunday night she passed away. I learned from her husband that he admonished her to stay in bed that particular morning but she  chose to carry herself in the manner of her calling. She was a remarkable woman.

What is our attitude concerning our lifestyle? We can either be positive or negative, whichever, we choose it is our attitude that counts. We can make a stand or state our position in an issue that is essential and vital and that I say is something important to do in our daily life.  After three weeks of touring and traveling, I am now heavier than my ideal weight. The same is true with my husband. We both decide to change our diets. After receiving proper advice, we chose a certain diet that is compatible with our lifestyle. It is an attitude we have to choose and embrace.

I believe that life is only ten percent of what happens to me and that the remaining ninety percent is how I react to it. My attitude is important and I know that I am in charge. I am grateful that I have the true faith that serves as my anchor to what is right and wrong. Choosing the right attitude that is consistent with Scriptures and the Gospel is the navigating tool that directs my path. I am grateful for all these!

It is 6 o’clock in the morning and I look at the window overlooking the eastern part of Edmonton. The city is pretty and the people are kind. I have called up my children in the Philippines and they are alright and happy for me.  I am still the same inside the core of my being. My way of life might have changed for the better, but I am still the same old me, Canadianized just a bit to make me adaptable to where I am. Truly, life is good!

I remember the hard times of my life and how I survived the long toil of day to day existence. For a while, I thought those times will never come to a halt but it did! I learned from the experiences and keep them in my heart to ponder on and to share. The trying times were a testing ground for me and I am glad I did well. I knew that everyone goes through a period of hard and trying times, however, not everyone can survive those difficult moments.

I remember the endurance I have to brace myself with. I believed and I still do that I must persist and continue to endure hard and trying times with the faith that it will soon pass. Even the worthy find themselves in similar circumstances and I have seen them. In all those moments of trials and testings, I count my blessings for it could have been worse. I know of persons who are very close to me who are now suffering from hard and trying times and I have only my testimony to share.

Patience and serenity have always been my goal in those moments because I knew then that would help me a great deal. Knowing that there is a Holy Father who is aware of what I was going through was sufficient for me to strive on and to make good. I became forgiving to people who have caused me pain and sorrow. I shared whatever I can to persons who need my meager resources with the hope it will ease them of their own sorrows and grief. I am grateful that I was able to do that and be able to do it continually.

The hard and trying times made me more prayerful and humble for I knew that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I knew that the difficult times will come to an end and as long as I stayed on the right track. There were lessons learned and have now become tools for a new life. I always had a cheerful heart and will always remain that way for I know that the Almighty Father is taking note of everything.

My life at this time  is a complete opposite of the past. The stresses and pressures of the day to day existence are now replaced with easy and a content life. I know too that more is expected of me by My Creator. I am rewarded with more time to pray and study the Scriptures and The Gospel. I am assured that I am not alone for I was gifted with my eternal prayer partner in life. We thrive on the lessons we learn from the readings we enjoy together and individually. Our associations with family, friends, neighbors and members of the church complete us. Gone are the hard and trying times of my life!

I am finally back in Canada and how sweet it is. In a previous piece I wrote about my ‘Confinement’. That was difficult enough, and dangerous enough for me, but after my release things really got interesting, and in some ways in a negative sense.

I had come down with a case of pneumonis, confined for five days and finally got back to the house that my wife and I had rented. A nice house, a large house, lots of tile, marble and so on. BUT…..no air con. I came out of the hospital as weak as a kitten. I wanted to go to Canada, but couldn’t because I was too weak to travel.

On the third day after my release we decided that we should go to Manila to the embassy to try to get a visa so my wife could accompany to Canada. It was a mistake. I was so weak, but we found ourselves in Manila. We couldn’t get a taxi, so it was jeepney all the way. Finally at the embassy, when it was our turn to go to the window, I was half carried by my wife, it was a sad picture. We pleaded our case and found out what we should do to accelerate our departure to Canada.

We finally got back to our house, and started to suffer from the heat when the sun was out, considering it was the start of the rainy season. I had to get relief from the heat, so through a friend we found a used air conditioner. We had it installed and finally, relief.!! The air con worked well, and though I was confined to the room, it was a small bit of heaven to be able to rest.

I didn’t stray from the house very much because I was weak, and the heat sapped my strength, that I stayed put. The rains would come, in varying degrees of intensity, and very noisy from the rain itself and sometimes from the thunder and lightning. It seemed at times like the spigot was cranked wide open and down cam the  monsoon rain.

We had applied for a visitor’s visa for my wife with emergency processing. About a week after that my wife took a call from the embassy telling her that her visitor visa had been denied. She immediately challenged the decision, but the caller said…..just a minute….your permanent immigration visa has been approved. You can imagine our delight. That was on a Wednesday, we were on an airplane on Monday heading to Canada.

On arrival there were the immigration proceedings, but finally we got out of there, and we were in Canada, with my wife as a legal landed immigrant. It was a happy time for us. Within a couple of hours we were enroute to Edmonton, arrived, got a taxi, managed our bags into our apartment. We were home. In the 12th floor apartment, with all my stuff and my wife  immediately felt at home.

It has been a real treat, showing her Edmonton, her impressions have been a delight to witness. On the following Wednesday we went to a lake where my daughter and her family were holidaying, where my wife met her and was very well received. On Saturday my son and wife came over to meet and visit. On Sunday we went to church.

Two nights ago we had a picnic supper with my cousin and husband, and so it has been. I took her to a museum dealing with the history of Alberta, including an aviation museum. There she saw an airplane that I flew that was on display. So on it goes, it’s been great.

In September we will go to the Pacific coast to meet my daughters. Then over to Vancouver Island, then to southern Alberta to meet more family. This will require a drive throught the rocky mountains. At the end of September it will be to Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.  

The adventure that I’ve been through, finally meeting an almost perfect woman, who loves and cares for me in all ways is an incredible blessing. Our relationship is developing so beautifully. It almost seems to good to be true, but it is really happening, and I’m so grateful. This adventure has had it’s challenges, some very significant ones, but it has all been worth it and I am enjoying an incredibly good outcome.

It is not the problems we have, it is how we handle those problems. I know that I’m very blessed and I wish that all could be so blessed. But good outcomes just don’t happen, they are made to happen. There are no shortcuts, just do what you have to do to fulfill your dreams.

We took off on a beautiful, clear, sunny day. I decided to fly high, so we went up to about 10,000 feet. We were motoring along fine, I had put on the auxiliary gas heater being assured that all was well by the mechanic. I got a tap on my shoulder and the passenger informed me that I had a fire going. I looked where he was pointing and the carpet was on fire like the wick on a lantern.

Fire is such a deadly enemy in an airplane and so I chopped the power and headed for the ground again, as per the previous day. I landed on a small lake, got stopped and we all got out of the fire out with snow. We got in, cranked the engine, kicked the skis and got moving. I was slowly to find a take off spot. I got to where I had touched down and I wanted space for that time, the airplane came to a complete halt.

I got out to take a look and saw that I was in overflow. This is a condition where there is a layer of ice not completely frozen. Water bubbles up over the ice and it freezes, so there is a layer of ice, water and ice. As soon as I broke the higher crust of ice, the skis dropped into the water and it froze immediately. So there we were, no axe in the airplane and this rookie pilot was wondering what now.

The trapper said he knew where we were, so I tied the airplane to the ice, put on the engine cover and we started to walk. It was still around -40C and no wind. We walked and walked or so it seemed like we did, following a creek bed. I did not have the right footwear and my feet were starting to get cold and I was getting concerned. However, we walked around a curve in the creek, and there high on the bank was a log cabin, with smoke curling up from the chimney.

We knocked on the door, and were graciously welcomed by a native lady into an immaculate home which was warm and was so welcomed. She offered coffee, and although I never drank coffee, I was so chilled I accepted a cup which did it’s job. It was then and still is the only cup of coffee I have ever had in my life. We warmed up, then the government guy and I started to walked towards Aklovik. I had gotten off a May Day, so we were quickly picked up by another airplane and flown to the base.

The next morning, I took another airplane heading for Pt. McPherson and on my way south flew over a gang of guys trying to chop the frozen airplane out of the ice. I was so glad I was not involved in that. I got to McPherson which sits on a very high bluff above the Rot River. When I made my move to return to Aklavik, I discovered I could not get the engine temperatures up to operating levels. All of the mercury was curled up in the ball of the thermometer because it was so cold. Therefore, I had to stay overnight, returning to Aklavik the next morning.

A lot of this stuff were potentially dangerous, but if one was careful, and knew his limits, survival is just about guaranteed. One of the realities that I had to learn was to know when to turn around and try it again another time or another day. That reality kept me out of a lot of potential problems. We know the solution to a problem… simply avoid it.

There was an unemployment problem for me at times after the air force, and work was hard to find. Through a friend of mine, I contacted the operator  of a small aircraft charter service in Aklavik, Northwest Territories. This place is located well within the arctic, not far from the Bering Sea, on a bend on a river and the town was sinking slowly in the mud.

This man, Mike, interviewed me in Edmonton and he hired me after I showed him my limited flying experience but he took a chance on me. I went up there in November, colder than a witch’s heart. I bunked in with a couple of other pilots and mechanics who were all a bits nuts, but in any case, I was there. It was dark most of the time and  that the sun was journeying towards the equator. I slept a lot, one of the reasons being going from 3000 ft ASL location to SL, plus nothing to do.

Finally, I was given a check ride on a Cessna 195 on skis. That went all right and was finally given a flight. I forget the details, but I was sent out, no briefing about the type of flying I had never done, nothing, but I went anyway. I had some very interesting experiences, one of which was I was told to fly south to Ft. McPherson to pick up a load of groceries to take to Inuvik which was the government town that was being built to replace Aklavik.

I got there, and was loaded with groceries with a twist. The airplane had only one door, so I got in the seat and the load was pushed in behind me. No problem, I took of heading northeast to cross the mighty McKenzie River. I had just passed over it when I saw smoke curling up from the boxes packed in around me. I immediately headed for the ground and Ianded on a tributary of the river. k was able to push out enough of the load so I could get out of the airplane. By the time I did all that, the fire was out.

So, I had to get this thing going again, so somehow I loaded up, got into the seat, started the airplane, gave it a full throttle and the aircraft did not move. The friction of the landing on the skis had caused the skis to freeze to the snow. I got out, kicked away the snow, did a repeat start, still no movement. I got out and repeated my efforts and finally got the airplane moving. It’s getting dark now, and so anxious to get airborne. I applied full power and the machine just wallowed in the thirty inch deep snow.

Obviously, this was not going to work, and all of a sudden, I remembered a conversation in which it was mentioned to take off in your own tracks. Having remembered that, I found my tracks, got in the groove and was able to take off. I delivered the load and returned to Aklavik. There I was a rookie bush pilot, the owner did not give me any briefing at all about anything, so obviously, I was on my own time any time I went out.

The fire started from the supplemental gas heater in the back caused the oil soaked carpet to catch on fire and burned like a wick in a lamp. This is the kind of guy I was working for, lousy maintenance. I told the mechanic about the problem and he said he would fix it…. which he didn’t. There is another fire story to come. This was all in the 50’s, and a lot of this stuff were very primitive compared to now.

That is a bit of what a bush pilot might go through, and I did, in a very uncontrolled environment. Still, I loved the work.

At this point, my husband is active and strong, although I am very conscious that he needs extra caring from me. As I look at him when he is in deep sleep beside me, I cannot help the thoughts flow in my mind of how will life be when I become elderly? I say that I will still be romantic as I am now and that I must resolve that my other half shall always be kept happy and content while we tread on through the wonderful years of married life.

Many things have been written about love. Love between two consenting adults is one of the most gratifying experiences one can ever have. I once was talking to an aunt and that she told me that when a marriage lasts through the years, there is a tendency for it to become more of a companionship and romance is no longer important. She and her husband became platonic in their relationship. I have witnessed this happen to elderly couples that I have known. However, I have also seen elderly couples hold hands at the park and at the restaurants. I admire these couples who maintain sweetness and caring despite the long years of togetherness.

The newness of a relationship is most often experienced with euphoric and obsessive feelings of wanting to be together as often as possible. There is that notion though that all these newness and euphoric feelings fade away over time. I am talking for myself that romantic love may not necessarily fade away but I believe it will yield more satisfying results if it be given the chance to deepen, grow and blossom through the years ahead. Romantic desires must always remain in the relationship. The compulsiveness of the early stages of love may diminish in long term relationships, but the romanticism must always remain. One can still have that desire or intimacy for that someone you have been with for so many, many years.

Romantic love is achievable! I believe that there are so many benefits and positive health implications for being in a positive relationship. It just takes constant working on it. One should always go back to where the relationship started, regardless of the number of years that passed. Amidst the imperfections and flaws that have slowly emerged in the relationship, and the euphoric bliss have faded away, the joy of being in love with the same person would always be there. You realize that the imperfections and flaws are acceptable, tolerable and are never deal breakers.

In the twilight years of any relationship, romance should never be taken for granted. Holding hands and whispering sweet nothings should remain to be a part of the love repertoire. If you and your mate have let the spark dim in your relationship, then it is about time to jolt out of that standstill and do something out of the ordinary. Try something novel and challenging together. I would visualize myself to be more adventurous with my husband. I know it is not easy doings things together at most times without feeling bored, however, it is a matter of choice. The  physical aspect of the relationship has to be spiced up. Be innovative at being close together.

As I get older, I shall be sure to schedule time alone with my husband and add a little zest to our everyday life. I may be out in the market and I can just phone him and tell him to meet me at a restaurant in an hour for lunch. I remember the many times he would arrive from Canada. The anticipation I felt waiting for his arrival. I am able to express how much I miss him in complete abandon with matching welcome kisses, warm embraces and tight hugs which were endless.

I would always be romantic and I shall spend a lot of time next to him, gaze at him and express my love over and over through the years. I would let him feel my wanting him through my eyes as only he could decipher. I know that my eyes let him know how much I adore him and this never fails, for I would always be reciprocated with more romantic overtures by my ever romantic husband.

I have been in the Philippines for the past six weeks, intending to wait until my wife’s immigration papers are approved. About two weeks ago, on a very warm day I got caught in a rain shower. No big deal, right? Not too much time went by and all of a sudden I have a fever. To the hospital, into it, and five days later I’m discharged after having a case of pneumonia. I’m as weak as a kitten, I could not even go home to Canada for treatment if I wanted to, I am just too weak.

So now I recuperate in my air con room, watching a poor selection of TV and listening to XMRadio on my computer. The only reason that I am able to handle all this is because of the extraordinary care given to me by my extraordinary wife. Devoted, patient, caring and I could go on. We have been married for six months, and even with the bumps in the road, I count myself incredibly blessed to have this woman as my wife.

While in the hospital apparently there were times when I was delirious. I am told I made a semi-pass at a nurse. The days were full of medicines, pain, general discomfort. The care of the main doctor was excellent. He is a thinking doctor full of advice, knowledge and with an extremely caring, concerned attitude. When there was a problem after my release, my wife would text him, and he would respond with patient, informative responses. Just try to get that kind of response from a busy Canadian doctor and with my experience, that just would not happen.

I have had much time to think, and to visit with my wife. I think of my children, missing them and they me, I hope, telling me to come home. I have thought of my relations with my children, my deceased wife and just general reflection of my life. My wife and I talked about our relationship, which we re-enforced, as we often do. Thinking about families, husband/wife/children realities and the societies we live in and why so many are dysfunctional in some ways.

These are some of the thoughts that have been occupying my mind as I mindlessly wait to get better. It has been a week since I was released and it’s amazing how strong I am starting to feel. I really can’t do much because of the stifling heat here in the Philippines, but I know that I’m getting better.

The ability for a body to heal itself once the process is started is incredible. I am a man of faith, and have the belief system that God plays a part in many ways in my life.  The fact that he created a body that for the most part can heal itself is a testimony to me as to the existence of Diety. I know that these are very personally held ideals, but I know my faith has carried me well. Particularly, I have been much more aware of my personal behavior and having decided to try harder to live a ‘God like’ way has been successful with a feeling of peace and accomplishment compared to the many previous years of my life.

There is nothing like a serious illness to cause one to reflect on one’s mortality and to question what really is going on. We only get one chance at this life and assuming things go on after death, the only thing that we take with us is what was our ’stewardship” in our mortal life. Suggestion: Don’t procrastinate!

After the fun of summer camp, I continued taking advantage of flying as often as I could, which was weekly. One weekend, we went up to Cold Lake, Alberta to take part in some air to air gunnery exercises. This sounded like fun, so on the appointed Saturday, about ten Mustangs took off for the three hour flight or so north. We were going to do it low level, and in battle formation. This meant that I was flying quite close to the ground with the other aircraft spread out in a line fairly far apart from each other. It was winter, and because of the length of the flight, they put a bit of fuel in the center tank which sat behind the pilot.

This tank tended to make the airplane a bit unstable so that fuel was always burned off first for obvious reasons. Enroute, I was watching aircraft in the formation as were were all scooting along at a very fast rate. Soon, pilots started to empty their fuselage tanks. To see other planes all of a sudden seem to come to a stop like they had hit a wall was as an interesting illusion. Then I would see a puff of smoke as the pilot changed tanks, the engine would catch and the pilot started to move again to regain his place in the formation. Then my tank blew, all of a sudden all was very quiet. I simply switched tank, the engine caught on, and that beautiful throaty roar that only comes from a Mustang would resume filling me with incredible confidence.

The next morning, after a thorough briefing, four of us went out on a cloudy, rainy day to take our turn at hitting a target. The target was a huge rectangular piece of fabric, gray in color, with a large black bull’s eye in the middle. When I was in the circuit on the target, I saw that it disappeared in front of my eyes because it merged with the gray of the clouds that were behind it. So I set up for the curb=ve of pursuit that would put me on target. The problem was that when I turned in, I could not see the target until the last moment. By then my angle was all wrong and I could not get off any rounds because the drogue would appear at the very last moment. I tried this for some time without any success. Finally, the leader was going to return to base and asked if we had expended all of our ammunition. I hadn’t so he told me to go some place and shoot it off.

Okay, I said to myself, here I am, 21 years old, in a WWII Mustang fighter airplane loaded with ammunition and I was to shoot off my ammunition. So…. I looked around and saw a lake with a small island. I set up like I was going to be on a strafing run and before I knew it, I was fast, low and started shooting. Just like in the movies, the spouts if water shot up as the rounds moved towards the island. The speed, the height, the vibration of the motor and guns firing was a real rush. After that adventure, I headed back to base while another airplane formatted on me. I headed to the button, did a break to the left and set up for a sweeping left turn unto the runway. Flaps down, wheels down, looking good. I touched down, then I heard someone call ‘Blue Two, pull up, pull up’, my number two pulled up going over me at just a few feet above me as he went for another approach.

He went around, landed and taxied to his spot. I had shut down by then, and soon I saw him looking at the propeller of his aircraft. I walked over to ask what had happened and obviously with exquisite pilot error, he was landing with his wheels up. Bad move! On his overshoot, I saw that he had been so close to the  ground that the tips of his propeller blades were slightly curled. He, with tongue in cheek, wondered if he should tell maintenance. Obviously, his mistake was going to be a matter of record and on his record.

My year of fun and games was coming to a close. It was time to do something different in developing my career and to earn some money. Commercial aviation was starting to get into a real development mode, and that is what was on my mind. Stay tuned…..

The summer camp drew to a close after an eventful two weeks. I was assigned to fly a Mustang back to Calgary, which I eagerly accepted. I sent a telegram to my mother about my arrival date and approximate time of arrival, wanting her to meet me for I needed a ride home. I also asked  her to bring my girlfriend, who would eventually be my wife. On the appointed morning, with my gear packed in the airplane, nine Mustangs took off. We climbed up to about twenty thousand feet and headed over the mountains.

I was number two in the formation and folks, this was fun. In our training, we were subjected to loss of oxygen in a compression chamber so that we could be aware of any symptoms we might exhibit from loss of oxygen. As I was in flying formation, I felt a bit dizzy, which was a symptom that I had when in training. I put the oxygen regulator on to 100% and that fixed the problem. See what training can do for a person?

We arrived at Calgary, did a couple of passes over the city to let the peasants know that the boys were back from the two weeks of fun and frivolity. We proceed to the airport and came in echelon right, did a break left for separation and headed for the runway. In military flying, one airplane lands on the left, the other on the right and so on. Consequently, there can my multiple aircraft on the runway in a military formation landing configuration.

I taxied in behind the CO and as I approached the hanger, I saw my mother and my girlfriend waiting under a tree on this beautiful, sunny day. I parked my airplane and rolled back the canopy. Shutting down a Mustang is a noisy proposition, so after I shut down my machine, there was a lot of noise going on behind me. I undid my harness, and climbed out of the cockpit onto the wing and got on to the ground. Now remember, my girlfriend was watching all this. I unbuckled my parachute, threw it over my shoulder and with my hard hat, oxygen mask dangling, my mae west, all the gear I started to walk where my girl was standing.

Whenever I have told this story, my deceased wife  would then take over and say that I swaggered over to her like John Wayne. I don’t think that is true, but then…. on the other hand…. It was fun to see my girl and my mom just get a real charge out of seeing me go through all this stuff. I got a lot of points with my sweetheart that day. It’s a personal story, but I enjoy relating it.

During that year, there was a training exercise where Mustangs were to intercept a formation of B25 (Mitchell Bombers). As the Mustangs taxied out, one of the planes had a mechanical problem so the three of us carried on and the fourth would catch up. We did the interception and flew along with the bombers and landed at a base called Namao. It was a cold day and so the aircraft were put into the hanger. The crews were in the bus and along comes Graham in the P51. We decided to wait, as he was in the circuit.

We saw him on final approach, but his wheels were up. No problem, he’ll put them down. A building blocked our view and in the final seconds of his approach, we saw his gear wasn’t down. He did a beautiful wheels up landing, with the accompanying sparks. It was quite a show. That night, I talked to him about it and his response was that he did not realize his wheels were up until the propeller started getting smaller. That one was pilor error, no question.

I hope you are finding some of these things interesting. I have had experiences that money cannot buy and I love having had them. More to come….

Every summer the squadron would go for a two week summer camp. In 1955, it was to Comox, British Columbia. It is a beautiful spot on Vancouver Island. The airport sits right on the shoreline, with one runway in the direction of the ocean. There are mountains, fishing, just a nice place to spend two weeks.

I was assigned to fly a Harvard trainer airplane out to the coast. There were three aircraft I think and away we went. We had to make fueling stops along the way, and on the first night we got weathered somewhere. The second night we got as far as Penticton, British Columbia. The delays were all because of the weather. While in Penticton, somehow we met some girls, there was a car, and we went down in the U.S. for something to do. It was a lot of fun. On the third day, we finally made it to Vancouver, then on to Comox.

We settled in for different exercises. I recall one navigation trip, another guy and I took a pair of Mustangs down to the U.S. and managed to land at Payne Air Force Base. Then we went off to the officers club for lunch. We then were taken into Seattle for a look about and on coming back, the other pilot didn’t have his RCAF ID with him. He calmly showed some other plastic to the security and was able to wing it and get back to the base.

You recall in a previous article, I tried to do a loop and it stalled into a violent spin. I took a Mustang and took off on the runway that pointed to the sea. It was thrilling to rev up the motor, and get airborne, get the gear up and hold the airplane on the deck for a few seconds. The land disappears and I was over the ocean, then a steep pull up and hold that until the speed dropped off. What a thrill!

I went out over the water, climbed up to about twenty thousand feet. I wanted to duplicate the spin that I had experienced in Alberta on the winter afternoon. At altitude, I pulled off the power, pulled back on the stick, and watched the speed drop off… lower…. lower…. then the stall with a mighty violent flick. I left my hands and feet off the controls and the aircraft was in a wild spin. I made no moves to correct, and after a few turns, the airplane came out in a gentle spiral dive, just like before. Of course, by this time, I knew how to fly a loop correctly and it was nice to know that the airplane would recover by itself.

One morning, there was a formation of four of us in Mustangs, took off to do some tail chases and formation flying. I was number four in the formation, the commanding officer was the leader. We went into a line astern formation. Now, we were trying to stay with the guy in front of each of us and soon the airplanes were spread out, all still in line astern. It was in a matter of minutes I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the CO on my trail. A demonstration of my rookie status and his as a much more experienced guy.

That is how I spent my two weeks in Comox, flying , eating, and just having fun. All at the expense of the government. Here I was at twenty one years old and having the time of my life. Don’t you love it when things work out well? More to come….

I felt that she really wanted to teach us and I know that she prepared for our lesson that morning, as she always did. In class, she exuded an aura of peace. There was not a trace in her demeanor that she was suffering nor was she having difficulties. She was dressed in her usual colors of black and cream. She had a black blazer and nice knee length dress and her black stockinged legs were a delight to see. Her curly long hair was neatly pulled tight on a ponytail which was pretty on her. Her face was slightly made up and becomes her with those big, round golden earrings which was her fashion statement. Very few women can wear those big pair of earrings and looked elegant and she is one of them.

She started yesterday’s lesson with a question, as she always did, and she always required each lady in class to give an answer. Her question was: “What are your fears as a church member?” She patiently listened to each of us and her eyes lit up when an answer was good. She is that kind of teacher who gives the lesson on a pace that was easy to follow and understand. She always appeared to have all the time in the world, never rushing nor fumbling when she conducted the class.

One of the ladies in class answered that her greatest fear is death. She said that she is afraid that when she dies, her children may not be well taken cared of and that their spiritual walk will be taken for granted. Our teacher answered in her smiling and easy manner, only one word: FAITH which she wrote on the blackboard. According to her, all our worries and fears reflect our faith in the Father. She likewise stated that faith and fear cannot exist at the same time.

She further added that FAITH is not a feeling, but instead it is a big decision that one must make. Once you have made the decision, it is enough to start with our spiritual journey. One is not required to be perfect but the desire to be one and to be able to do this would be to live a righteous life. It is the desire to strive hard to be worthy and deserving. The little faith that we started with shall increase “line after line, precept after precept.” Know the lessons well and apply and live them to gain wisdom.

Again, she reiterated that every lesson learned must settle in our hearts to be able to practice them. The lessons we turn into weapons and tools to overcome difficulties and challenges in life. She reminded each one that when one commits a transgression, we must avoid rationalization and go back to the FAITH! Our faith will either break or make us.

Then she talked about death that becomes a blessing. Pain will always be present, but in death it will be overcome. Always be ready to realize your weaknesses and be humbled to work out on them. We may have fears, but we have the key and that is FAITH. We must always be committed and always desire to renew one’s covenants.

It was easy to take down notes on the lessons our teacher imparts, for she has a clear message to spread to us. After the class ended, again I approached her and expressed my gratitude for the lesson and told her that it was worth writing about. I think I made her happy and she broke into a very beautiful smile, and we hugged each other, not knowing that, that was the last time I will see/talk to/hug her.

I know that our teacher is happy as she sees me now. Death maybe painful, but I rejoice for/with her, for I know she had the Faith and now she just gained her reward. She is now at home with the Father at peace, with no pain and suffering!

Being able to be checked out on the Mustang P51 was one of the biggest events of my career. Here I was, not yet 21, flying a WWII front line fighter that played such a huge part in the bombing raids over Europe. It was the only fighter plane at that time that had the range to escort the bomber streams deep into Germany. The ‘D’ model had three 50 caliber machine guns on each side. It was in “air to air” and  “air to ground” operations. After I got over being, dare I say, apprehensive about the flying characteristics and got more confidence in the whole thing, I started to have a great deal of fun.

The Conversion Course had 32 items to go through. These dealt with aerobatics, formation flying, low flying, high level training, gunnery and other things like that. The format was that the squadron was active on Thursday night, Saturday and Sunday. Generally, it was first come first serve to get an airplane to play with. During 1955 at age 21, I did not have a real job so I just played at flying the Mustang, it was a good year.

Early on in my conversion, the squadron went up to Cold Lake, Alberta for air to air gunnery practice. I was not far enough along to shoot air to air, so I flew with the rest to the base and back again. On a Sunday afternoon, there was an aircraft on the tarmac not being used, so the squadron leader told me to take it up and do some circuits and try some aerobatics. It was a cold winder day and I really felt it as I did my walk around. I got in, started up, and took off. I flew to the practice area and thought I would try some rolls. These went well. Now was the time to try the loop…. remembering that I had not had a briefing on this stuff, I was about 18,000 feet, I put the nose down to gain speed as per the handbook. At 155 knots, I started to pull back on the stick, and I estimate when I was about straight up, the airplane flipped.

This stall was very violent and immediately the sky and the ground were going around and around. My harness strained me, the “G” forces were working on me. I knew I could not fly myself out of this one and I was concerned that I might end up heading to the ground inverted, so I took my hand and feet off the controls and let the airplane to its thing. Soon, because of the weight of the engine, the nose fell through and the Mustang ended up in an uneventful spiral dive from which I recovered nicely.

However, it was a bit of a scary deal for me so took a few minutes for me to settle down. What has happened was that I had attempted the maneuver in the same way that I had done loops in the Harvard Training Aircraft, so that when I was straight up, I figured that the airplane slid back and then toppled over in it’s violent stall. Later, I was to learn how to loop and more with briefings and training.

A typical Saturday morning would be for me to get there early, get an airplane and head off into the blue. The wonderful sound of the engine, the thrill of almost mastering this beast and just being there was an incredible high. I would go punch holes in the sky, then I might see another Mustang and I would go after him and pounce on him, or the other way around. There was a rear view mirror secured outside the canopy which was invaluable. Whether I was the bouncer or the bouncee, we would engage in chasing each other around practicing to see if we could get into a position to theoretically shoot the other down. To be doing this ‘dog fighting’ was exhilarating, to have my windscreen blocked out by the presence of another airplane, and then it is gone. Amazing! Then, there might be one or two more join in the melee, so it was exiciting, fun and experiences not to be forgotten.

I have often wondered if I would have the right stuff to survive a real war time experience, when life and limb were at risk as was the case in WWII with these aircraft. I will never know….

When The Lady and I are togethr, just about every night, we read something together. Currently, it is a book relating to our Faith. We will read a chapter and often have a great discussion as a result. At the moment we are separated while I am in Canada for medical consultations, yet we have our reading together via the internet and cam.

Last night was a good night for reading and discussion. It went on for about two hours and was productive, loving and fulfilling. In our discussions, we tend to express our feeling for each other, to renew our covenants verbally, have a prayer together, then I will go to bed and The Lady continues her day. I have thought often, and hve voiced out the thought that how blessed we are to have met, to have formed what seems to be the absolutely greatest of relationships. What are the odds of finding a mate that completes the other so adequately?

I related the story of years ago…. I was flying for a small airline in Winnipeg, Manitoba. My work took me to the northern part of the province and into the Arctic. On this day, I was the First Officer with the Chief Pilot on a DC4 aircraft and were on a milk run heading south to Winnipeg. We made a stop at Thompson, Manitoba, parked on the tarmac on a sunny late afternoon. The low sun was shining into the cockpit and the sunlight was bright on the paner overhead our heads. Take note for this is an important part of the story.

We took off, heading for the Pas and after an uneventful leg, landed and taxied to the terminal. Soon the agent came up to tell us that the cargo hatch was open. He later determined that we had lost a bag of mail. We wondered how was that possible that we would take off with a cargo door open, but then quickly realized that when we parked in Thompson, the sunlight on the upper panel had diffused the brilliance of the warning light. Consequently, we did not know the door was open and we did not see the red light after we had started moving the aircraft, obviously because neither of us looked up at the panel.

Days later, the operations manager called me and said that post office wanted the airline to make an attempt to find the bag. Off I went to Thompson, hired a helicopter to fly the departure path that we had taken previously. As soon as I got over the bush, I knew it would be a challenge to find anything. I landed and went to the post office and asked them to rig a dummy bag with the same weight, tags and such that the original bag had. I went to the airport, got the helicopter pilot to go up to a thousand feet, and just a few yards off the side of the runway, I dropped the dummy mailbag.

I watched the thing fall, and disappear into the bush. We went down to try to find the bag, and even though I knew where the bag had gone, I could not see it. It was gone. With that knowledge, I simply reported that to find the lost mail bag was just about as impossible task and that the post office and others forget it and I returned to Winnipeg. Months later I was in dispatch, and heard the joyful news that they found the mailbag, only it was the dummy bag.

So it/was, with The Lady and The Gentleman finding each other. With the help of the Father, were successful in finding the real mailbag that has opened up fantastic possibilities for us in our life together. Have you found your real mailbag? I hope so….

My husband left me again, and I allowed him to. The last time he left me, he was gone for fifty five days. He came back to me at the end of March. He came home with the intention of a longer period of stay which is approximately six months. Our reunion was wonderful and great. We rediscovered each other  and we were adjusting to our new life together in a new home. We were alone by ourselves so that we enjoyed the companionship and the prospect of being together with great anticipation.

However, after a few days, he started feeling weak and easily tired. He would gasp for air especially when we were walking in the morning. His blood pressure fluctuated. It dipped low in the morning and was quite normal after lunch. I suspected that he was having a low oxygen level in his bloodstream considering that we are on a high altitude. The blood pressure readings bothered us and we sought and consulted with cardiologists. They advised us to do this and that and that and this. In short, there was no relief. Considering that my husband is a heart transplant patient 16 years ago, we arrived at a decision that he should go back to Canada. The risk we were taking is too great.

So I let him go. Looking back, he has only been with me for  fourteen days. I count the days from the time we got married in December and it is a total of one hundred and eighteen days. Half of that time were spent away from each other. What do I learn from this? How do I feel about our separation? How am I coping. At these times that he has problems, I worry about how he is coping. I know he too has to learn from this.

I have learned to be tough and trusting to be able to endure the separation. It is not easy. I battle the loneliness with pleasant and constructive thoughts. Although we have barely a few months of being together, we have so much memories that make us bond (like velcro, according to him). We spend each day as if we were physically together.

Thanks so much for technology, we are able to talk and see each other through broadband. We laugh at each other’s crazy jokes and antics. We are able to thresh out important matters and to arrive at a common decision. We enjoy the luxury of reading together as if he was just by my side. Most of all, we look forward to praying together and that is three times a day. When I wake up and that is his late afternoon, we talk and pray. When he is about to sleep, which is my noontime, again we talk and pray. When he wakes up, that would be my sleeping time, we talk and he tucks me to bed with a prayer. That is long distance relationship to the max!

The separation is necessary and I deal with it as expected of me and trusting and hoping that the separation will not be prolonged. Being apart makes us to be working on our marriage in a very special way. We are gentle and considerate of the other. We boost each other when one feels low. Our communication has always been very open and transparent. We trust each other to a very high degree. We express our love in so many ways that we have not done in our past relationships. We bring out the best of each other and  we become creative and revitalized even more.

We really did not have a long engagement. It was a short and almost at a neck breaking speed. However, we have established a strong and firm connection in that short period of time. The attachment we had covered a lot so that it was easy for us to consider marriage. We prayed about our relationship. We were tested and trials were aplenty. Fortunately, we survived the pre nuptial jitters and warfare so to speak.

As a married couple and living apart, we are very conscious of the temptations that may be inevitable. Again, we focus on the value of our marriage. We have a common goal to keep it always on the right track. We overcome temptations because we choose to in the belief that we were meant to be and the union was providential. We know that we will never be alright without the other.

We are blessed for in our separation we rely on the Father, the Greatest Author of our lives. We believe that HE has great plans for the us, individually and as a couple. With this, we are greatly motivated and inspired to be strong to endure separations. We anticipate the reunion and my husband may leave me again, but I know that reunions will always be beautiful and rewarding!

The Gentleman writes: I have put behind me the pilot training given out by the regular air force. You might recall that I was sponsored by the Calgary 403 Squadron. In January 1955 I reported to the squadron and was warmly received. Of course being rookie, I was looked at as being dangerous until they saw me in action so to speak.

The squadron flew Harvards (trainers), T-33 Shooting Start (Jet) and the incredible P51 Mustang. This aircraft was one of the most successful in your face fighters during WWII and I was going to learn to fly them. How sweet that was going to be. Initially I flew the Harvard for a few months, meanwhile reading up on the handbook on the P51. I would sit in the aircraft practicing the switch locations, what they did and so on.

A Sidebar: It during this year I met a beautiful young woman at the church I attended. She was from Finland having been in Canada for only a few short months. We were involved in a dance program at the church so we got to know each other a bit, and that was all. Then one day she saw me in my RCAF uniform. Now, I was a very young looking dude, and she felt I was too young for her. However, when she saw the uniform, she figured out the guy in it must not be as young as he looks. This girl was stunning and to this day I wonder what she ever saw in me. I digress…..but remember my Finnish lady, she will appear later.

Back to the P51…..the day arrived when I was scheduled to take up the Mustang for the first time. This airplane has one seat, it has a 1640 HP RollsPackard engine in it. One had to be very mindful of the torgue produced by this power on take off. I had to fly a Harvard from the back seat to simulate the long nose of the P51.

The time came, I had all my gear on and I climbed up on the wing buckled in and then the instructor showed me how to start the airplane. That was accomplished but I had to call him back to get the radios going. That accomplished, I did the checks, got clearance to taxi to the runway. The canopy was locked, i was buckled in so tight, i was so excited to be in this airplane that had seen duty of Europe during the war.

At the end of the runway, I was cleared to take off and I started my roll, moving the power up slowly thinking of the torgue. I had the throttle up only half way and I was airborne. The I went to lift the gear and I was so tight in the harness, and in that I didn’t have the arms of a monkey, I had to loosen off so I could raise the landing gear.

I climbed out to altitude, listening to the steady roar of the engine, absolutely in awe of this airplane. I flew from the airport and did some turns, and rolls, just getting the feel of it. It was grand. Here I am, not yet 21, flying this incredible machine. Finally I thought I’d better land so I set up in the circuit, came around for my final, touched down nicely. The speed dropped off, the tail went down and I taxied in doing ‘S’ turns to accommodate the long nose of the airplane.

It’s always a relief for the instructor when the guy comes back with the aircraft intact. This is another step for me in my quest to learn this skill and having the best training and aircraft available. In my apartment, I have a large picture of a P51 Mustang and in the bottom left hand corner of the frame is a picture, taken in one of those picture booths, of a tiny four year old boy. That picture is of me and it reminds me of what that boy accomplished as a man in his quest to become a pilot.

The Gentleman writes: This is the second night I haven’t had a good sleep, and I’m sure that dear reader, you have experienced such activity from time to time. How does one handle such a frustrating and tiring situation. This night as I have gone through the process, once again my mind has gotten very active. I try the normal stuff, tossing and turning, pickup a boring book (don’t feel like it), turn on the TV (nothing but paid programming). I get up walk around, have a glass of water, get a small snack. Back to bed, nothing has changed.

My mind is going a mile a minute, gotta do this, should do this, I didn’t exercise, I should exercise, got to pay a bill and don’t have the money, Think about your kids, your wife, your sweetheart, your car baby needs a new muffler, your job, good and bad which includes the jerk you have to deal with at work and so on. We all know the drill and this morning I said , hells bells, I might as well get up and do something, hopefully constructive.

There are two reasons that I think are contributing to my restlessness is that I don’t do enough physical stuff during my day. I’m retired and I tend to be lazy so the old adage, overcome the laziness and start doing what must be done. The second reason is that I am here in Canada and my wife is in the Philippines, I miss her a great deal, and that has to be a contributor to my sleeplessness.

The Lady wrote an article, just posted, talking about her husband, me, leaving her and the reasons why. She said she ‘allowed’ me to go, don’t you love it when you wife assumes so much authority over you? Really it was a mutual decision which went the way it could only go. Therefore I’m in Canada waiting for a test, a remedy and I’ll be back to my wife.

If you have been following these articles you will know that we have been married a few months with about half of that time being apart. I handle the separations better than she does and I guess that’s one of the differences between the male and female species. However, that doesn’t mean that I miss her or love her any less.

I’m an older guy, my first wife passed away from cancer after 46 years and now I have a much younger wife which is a totally new experience for me. As I have gone through this process with The Lady, I have found a different Gentleman emerging, very different. With my wife we have developed an openness, a transparency that has never been in place before, to this degree and it is vital, Considering we have known each other for a very short time, and been together for a shorter time, we both know that there will be bumps in the road as we meld our lives together.

There have been substantial bumps in the road but my mental state is that, in the first place I love her so much. There is a glow there now, and that will wear away, but the basic application of unconditional love is always there. Secondly we smooth out the bumps because we HAVE to do so. After an argument there is no sulking, no retention of the minutia of the disagreement. When it’s over it’s over.

We have a commonality of faith, we have good communication skills, generally we have much going for us in our marriage. One of the great advantages that transparency provides is that it encourages us to do is to be absolutely honest, no hidden agendas, no secrets. keeping finances a cooperative effort and so on.

These are some of the things I think about when I’m tossing and turning. My mind races through many subjects but I always get back to the wife, me and our families where true peace and love can prevail. It is so right…..

I have spent much time in the United States, in Italy (Rome), in Holland (Amsterdam), and others. Gleaning much from all this exposure for which I’m very grateful. More recently my out of Canada experiences have been in the Philippines home of my dear wife. That in of itself is a huge contrast to experience.

In my travels I have experienced so many people struggling to have a quality of life that I take for granted. In lands where the possibility of peace and plenty are abundant, but they aren’t there. We all have our opinions as to why these discrepancies are there, and of course I have opinions as well.

Now the world is in a financial situation that is acute. Employment is high in most countries, with dim prospects. Huge companies are going under, not able to pay their bills and so on.

As I have thought of these things, three words come to my mind….Power, Greed and Selfishness. Selfishness can affect even the poorest amongst us. However, power and greed, for this discussion, seems to be in the realm of those who already have it or are close to it. The following might be construed as a broad brush stroke, but it is the politicians and business people/corporations seem to have a bent towards greed and power.

As mentioned, this is a broad stroke, but when we look at the Americans whose practices on Wall Street, government and banks have caused hardship in the US, Canada and the domino effect has gone around the world. If blame is to be attached it would be to the government for lack of oversight on critical areas of the financial dealings of the banks and Wall Street. There are many regulations that weren’t properly enforced and on it goes.

Honesty and transparency seem to be two words that are too obviously not taken seriously. It is true that most people have their own agendas, protecting their own turf, their own power base, their own financial well being and so on. I don’t have a problem with that except that being honest and fair and transparent in business, and of course, in personal relationships are absent or at best compromised.

How much money does a person need? How much power does a person need? Don’t people have a conscience? As a politician, a business person, as an individual, where do you fit in? There is Power, Greed and Selfishness that we all deal with in some way. Are you part of the problem or part of the solution to the malaise that afflicts us?

I started this piece saying that I am extremely fortunate, many are not as fortunate, and many more are now much less fortunate than previously. Please be honest, unselfish and transparent in your business and personal dealings. Treat others as you would want to be treated. It is the right way…….