Fatherhood

Growing up with very few resources the one resource I did have was my father who, although he was somewhat challenged, he instilled a tremendous sense of discipline and integrity in me. Having very little resources as a child was a great blessing, it created a different character in me and allowed me to see things very differently so I don’t have any regrets. I’m only thankful for the fact that I didn’t have much. What I did have was a father and my father was and still remains a voice in my head that never ever stops. He’s always with me. My dad was a very structured man, a very disciplined man, a very quiet man. He said very little but when he did speak, I needed to pay attention. He was certainly nobody to toil with. Not in the physical sense, but I just knew the seriousness of his interactions when I spoke with him. His words were direct. He was honest, to the point and you always knew exactly where you stood with my father. He passed tragically at the age of 64 from a brain aneurysm that was caused by his shockwave therapy after his service in the Korean War. Although I didn’t have much, I had him and for that I will always be thankful and he is sadly missed to this day.

In 2007, I became a dad. I adopted two children from Eastern Europe that have become the light of my life. They are both remarkable individuals who also started off with very little which, as I said before, can really be a blessing. They have become tremendous people and I’ve raised them very much in the light of my own upbringing. We remain a very happy family. I’ve been married for 30 years to the same woman. My daughter is now in osteopathic studies at my school, having finished university and my son is pursuing his professional hockey career. I work with my kids on a daily basis. My father taught me something every day of the week. He found a lesson in every single day and I have tried to do the same thing with my kids. I father my children from a relationship where I’m trying to prepare them to be the best people they can be. I’m honest, caring, respectful, hard-working, dedicated and full of Integrity: the qualities that I try to impart on my children.