Monday, March 3, 2008

Morning thoughts (2008-03-02)

A few thoughts this morning; which I will try to compress in a single post.

However we each may feel about the mission in Afghanistan, we must remember there are real human beings military and civilian doing a thankless task on behalf of us Canadians. Yesterday, another soldier died -- Michael Yuki Hayakaze, 25. That brings the total killed in action since 9/11 to 80 -- 79 servicepersons, plus one diplomat. As the debate in Parliament continues about extending the mission to 2011, which it will now almost certainly be, I hope some cooler heads prevail; and that at the very least we can offer our support to the families that continue to grieve as well as those left behind and praying they won't have to hear the knock at the door.

Also, Jeff Healey died yesterday from cancer. He was 41. A brilliant musician and singer, gone well before his prime. Not much more I can say about that.

On a personal level, this weekend marked a turning point in some respects for me. I'm not going to say too much at this time but I do feel better about things than I have in a while. Unfortunately, some members of my extended family who shall remain nameless only see -- and want to see -- doom and gloom for me. I just wish they'd wake up and stop crying every time they're on the phone with me saying I'm going to die and soon.

How do they know, really? Sometimes I wish they'd just let me be -- but I guess it's like most families; they'll never let you alone and will always see the negatives about you, never the positives and will do everything to hold you back.

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