Two very inspirational women died over the past two days, and I feel compelled to speak about both of them today.
Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke died yesterday as a result of injuries she suffered while training in Utah on Jan. 10th. This woman worked hard to become the very best in her sport, and with that professionalism and talent, along with a great deal of determination had her sport acknowledge by the Olympic committee. We will watch, as a result of this young woman, freestyle skiing in the winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. She was born in Ontario and will be greatly missed by so many. What moves me the most about Ms. Burke's story is the same one that always strikes me in cases like this. I am always so taken aback by people, mostly women, who at a very young age know exactly what they want to do with their lives and go after it will all they have. Where does that determination come from? I don't know as I have never had that. I am always awe struck by people like Sarah who can not only overcome so many obstacles, but strive in a way that just makes you sit back and wonder who this phenomenon is! She is someone who we want our girls to look up to, someone I would want my daughter (if I had one) to see and want to be like. Maybe not a skier, but want to follow in the way of working hard and achieving greatness in whatever they put their minds to. So often stories of amazing women go without being told, and I am tired of it. It is time we forget about what people look like, or how shocking they live their lives, and start to look at women our daughters can look at and want to be like that would make us all proud. There is a real epidemic with young girls now a days and that is poor body image. From what I see, we spend too much time and money on the likes of the Kardashians and not enough time and money on real role models like Sarah Burke. My heart goes out to her husband Rory Bushfield and their families. Sarah may or may not have had any medical insurance that will cover the hospital costs, so the family has set up a site where you can make donations. I would like to include that here. http://www2.giveforward.com/sarahburke.html
Along with Sarah, we lost the incredible Etta James. No one can hear "At Last" without it tearing your heart to shreds and that is because of the ghostly harmony she brought to it. It was only a few years ago that I actually became aware of Ms. James and her music, and have loved her ever since. It saddens me to know that the world has lost one more of those pioneers, those that fought threw segregation, anger, and sexism. Her influence will always be with us, and with me. Just a couple of weeks ago singer Flo Rida released a song that included Etta singing Somethings gotta hold on me. My heart goes out to her family and friends. She will live forever in that music from generation to generation.
When I was young I was not at all into sports. I didn't follow them, and I didn't pay much attention to who played them. I know of a couple of skaters (Elizabeth Manning, Scott Hamilton, Barbara Underhill) because my mom watched figure skating alot, and I knew a couple of Olympic skiers like Steve Podborski, and Ken Reed (those Crazy Canucks). Other than that I didn't know much. I did however follow Terry Fox from the minute his story reached us in Ontario. The courage he had, and his determination was what drew me to the story and every night I couldn't wait until they updated us as to where he was now. He made it to my small town and I was lucky enough to have met him. He and is brother was staying down the street from me for the night, and I was able to shake his hand and say hello. I know that that incidental meeting meant nothing to him, but to me it was out of this world. The day he had to give up on his dream of running across Canada saddened me, as I knew it would have make him beyond sad. He died a few months later and our entire country morned. That summer my parents and I took a trip to British Columbia, and during that trip we were able to visit his grave site. There was no head stone there yet, but you knew it was him by the enormous hill of flowers that covered it. The courage he shown over those months of running went beyond anything I knew I was capable of, but because of him I found the strength to go through the things I needed to endure. He forever changed my life. We need role models, and good ones.
It is cloudy here today, and kind of boring. I was going to take Zeb for a walk down at the lake today, even though it is freezing, but then I remembered that they have not yet found the body of the workman who fell off the ambassador bridge last week. I hope for his family's sake they find him soon. That's all I would need, walking along the beach and come across a dead body....like my kid isn't crazy enough. My friend Jenny's husband grew up around here, and remembers finding many bodies in the lake as a kid. Wow, can you imagine that, you go out for a swim and there's someone floating by. Boy makes me want to stay out of the water that's for sure. I am not sure if he goes into the water anymore, but I sure wouldn't be. Living downstream from Detroit is a real disadvantage I guess. To tell you the truth I wouldn't go into lake Erie if you paid me, that thing is so dirty. I have heard stories about people putting their kids into the lake and them swimming around with toilet paper on their heads.....GROSS I mean DOUBLE GROSS!! Nope, we have a really nice ez set pool and that is where we like to stay in the summer. Zeb can go down to the lake and build sand castles but he will not go in it.
Via rail is offering 50% off adult tickets anywhere in Canada until late Jan. I would love to one day go over the Rockies in a train car. I think what a way to see it, travelling along while enjoying a nice cup of tea. Zeb has never been on a train, well not a full sized train, in his life. We have sort of talked about it, but have yet to do it. I also just read about a company who is now offering tours down to the Titanic wreck. Wow, wouldn't that be something! I am not sure I could handle it, as I get a little claustrophobic, but if I could I think what a sight. The Titanic sunk 100 years ago this April and all I can think is wouldn't it be amazing to see it the day it went down 100 years later. I guess I will just have to settle on seeing the movie Titanic 3D that day instead.
My dad went today to get a tattoo!! Yep, he is dying of cancer and got his first tattoo at age 77. I teased him a bit today about it. If only it was for fun, but rather it's for radiation. He will start getting treatments next Wed. They hope it will stop the pain, and so do I.
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