TRUTH TUESDAY
My cousin paying tribute 💜this gave me goosebumps to see! It's the ultimate idea of "we are one". Every walk of life, every profession, every Canadian...mourns. This guy is the ultimate hockey dad! And he's also dedicated his life to serving and protecting us...but there's just some things you can't always protect. Accidents, tragedies...these things aren't a drug bust or domestic call. This is random and unpredictable and inconceivable. Yet, these guys will go out everyday and still, do their damnedest to try and never let any of us know this level of hurt. Every single day by monitoring our highways and responding to these calls when no one else would have the strength to. All of them would. Every single first responder deserves a tip of our hats. I just had a conversation about taking your hat off in places as a sign of respect. And this here, is the ultimate sign of respect. We remove cover for the anthem at every single hockey game across the nation. And so in this time...what a brilliant homage to leave his hat as a symbol of character. And love. I wish I had a "profession" hat to lay next to this. As we all take the time to put out sticks out, let us too, take off our caps and bow our heads as a collective, gesture of united love and togetherness. And as a tip of the hat to everyone who just did what was needed to be done in a time of utter chaos.
So today's truth?
Love one another.
I'd be remiss if I didn't take the time to acknowledge what has hit so, so close to home for so many families.
My own family, years ago, billeted players in this exact level of hockey. The AJHL. You may have a child playing the game, taking buses, leaving home to play...in whatever sense this tragedy has affected you, it is valid and it is real and you are allowed to feel it.
As these men ate, slept and breathed hockey, so do we with dogs. So for me, I kept thinking about my dog club family. How it would feel to lose one, never mind an entire group of them. We've spent thousands of hours together discussing, diagnosing, correcting, rewarding, playing, crying, rejoicing...we've laughed at each others goofs...cried in each other's losses...and celebrated each and every victory, no matter how small. We're a family. And to lose a member would be devastating.
Hockey's community is devastated.
So today, the truth is...love one another. Work hard, show up, train fair...out there on the field, it's just you and your dog. You're a team. You need one another to become that. And the thing that unites us is the theme of this picture. Love and respect.
Each and every time something has come up in my world, I relied on my dog family. They were my community. Even now, as I lose my best friend Bosco, they rally behind me with acts of love, respect...and support.
So let us remember to support one another in this time, and in all times.
Find your community. Find your tribe. Love them hard.
My cousin paying tribute 💜this gave me goosebumps to see! It's the ultimate idea of "we are one". Every walk of life, every profession, every Canadian...mourns. This guy is the ultimate hockey dad! And he's also dedicated his life to serving and protecting us...but there's just some things you can't always protect. Accidents, tragedies...these things aren't a drug bust or domestic call. This is random and unpredictable and inconceivable. Yet, these guys will go out everyday and still, do their damnedest to try and never let any of us know this level of hurt. Every single day by monitoring our highways and responding to these calls when no one else would have the strength to. All of them would. Every single first responder deserves a tip of our hats. I just had a conversation about taking your hat off in places as a sign of respect. And this here, is the ultimate sign of respect. We remove cover for the anthem at every single hockey game across the nation. And so in this time...what a brilliant homage to leave his hat as a symbol of character. And love. I wish I had a "profession" hat to lay next to this. As we all take the time to put out sticks out, let us too, take off our caps and bow our heads as a collective, gesture of united love and togetherness. And as a tip of the hat to everyone who just did what was needed to be done in a time of utter chaos.
So today's truth?
Love one another.
I'd be remiss if I didn't take the time to acknowledge what has hit so, so close to home for so many families.
My own family, years ago, billeted players in this exact level of hockey. The AJHL. You may have a child playing the game, taking buses, leaving home to play...in whatever sense this tragedy has affected you, it is valid and it is real and you are allowed to feel it.
As these men ate, slept and breathed hockey, so do we with dogs. So for me, I kept thinking about my dog club family. How it would feel to lose one, never mind an entire group of them. We've spent thousands of hours together discussing, diagnosing, correcting, rewarding, playing, crying, rejoicing...we've laughed at each others goofs...cried in each other's losses...and celebrated each and every victory, no matter how small. We're a family. And to lose a member would be devastating.
Hockey's community is devastated.
So today, the truth is...love one another. Work hard, show up, train fair...out there on the field, it's just you and your dog. You're a team. You need one another to become that. And the thing that unites us is the theme of this picture. Love and respect.
Each and every time something has come up in my world, I relied on my dog family. They were my community. Even now, as I lose my best friend Bosco, they rally behind me with acts of love, respect...and support.
So let us remember to support one another in this time, and in all times.
Find your community. Find your tribe. Love them hard.