Respecting Each Other in Canada – Skyler Seccaspina

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My son wrote this from his heart – whether you agree with it or not is up to you – well written Sky we are all suffering in one way or another – We should all be working together as one.

Written by Skyler Seccaspina

I stood along the 417 in Ottawa with my family and waved my Canadian flag for four & a half hours today. I hadn’t seen that much highway action since Ryan Hawkins and I played ‘follow the Good Housekeeping’ on highway 29 back in grade 6 (his grandmother, Isabelle, put an end to that pretty quickly).

It is incredible to think of how divided we’ve become as a country, a country that was once a benchmark for unity. Yes, I agree, it starts at the top. It’s hard to think of a leader in the history of this country who has divided so many Canadians. Blame it on whoever you want, though. At the end of the day we all control ourselves. We control our thoughts and how we express them.

I’m always reminded of the days when my Nonna would tell me to SHHHHH!! Or, even my dad’s advice that he would instill in me as a kid: “Keep your mouth shut!”They were right. If I didn’t have something nice to say, I shouldn’t say it at all.

It’s hard to hold back though, and for everyone that is true, especially in the situation we find ourselves in. We’ve all had our fair share of COVID discussions with one another. We’ve been heated. We’ve been keyboard warriors. Even if we disagree though, for the most part, we listen. It’s been frustrating, lonely, and hopeless. We’re struggling, especially our kids. In what was supposed to be “2 weeks to flatten the curve” almost two years ago, we seem to have arrived at a crossroads.

Everyone has an opinion on how and when we should move on from this pandemic. Some folks are already done with it, while some are still isolating themselves from the rest of the world. Opinions are so far entrenched in some that they are determined to stay in their narrative, regardless of the facts.

We have politicians, national/independent news outlets and social media all telling us different things.We aren’t all going to agree on the right time to move on, but we should respect each other. We should respect everyone’s choices, regardless of how they makes us feel. After all, we are all going to get out of this at once, together.

To My Son on his 35th Birthday

On August 6th of 2010 I wrote a blog for my eldest son Schuyleur and today I am reposting it for his 35th birthday. Where does the time go?

The son I once knew has disappeared.

If you see him, please let me know where he is.

I think he is about six feet tall, and has a big smile – like his Mother.

Beware, as Schuyeur has a lot of stories to tell – like his Mother.

Thirty five years ago I gave birth to a baby that was the size of a small country. After 28.5 hours of labour he was put into the Intensive Care Nursery because I had Gestational Diabetes and he weighed more than all the babies in there combined. Councillor Doreen O’Sullivan from North Grenville remembers too– as she was there as a nurse in the Civic Hospital.

I named him after a character in a soap opera called Schuyleur Whitney from the late “The Edge of Night”. He asks me often why I did not spell his name with only six letters. (Skyler)

I told him because of his name, he would excel in spelling.

He did.

Schuyleur mysteriously came home after lunch one day when he was in Grade one. He told his grandparents that they had closed school for the afternoon due to lack of school work.

The school called looking for him thirty minutes later.

Busted!

So where did my son go I ask myself. The one I used to know.

Where is the kid that made an exact replica of Mr. Hankie from South Park for his Caldwell french immersion class?

Who else, but my child, makes an animated piece of poo from Fimo?

What other child argues in French with his teacher that it should be accepted as his class project?

He is definitely his mother’s child.

He was once a birthday party man, used to love my store, and the girls that worked for me.

He used to like to play dress up.

Yes, his Halloween chicken suit gathers dust upstairs.

Maybe one day he will come back for it.

The house is quiet now, and the yard holds no more laughter and chaos.

The basketball net has been long forgotten, and his silver bike lies unused in the garage.

Maybe, I am looking for the wrong person.

Maybe, Mothers always see their sons and daughters as still young children.

Maybe, we never seem to realize that they have grown up.

Instead of the small child I am looking for, maybe I should see what he has become.

A man that worked hard in school, and wants to succeed.

He has made us proud.

One day, he too, will search for his child not realizing that he or she has long grown up.

Only pictures on shelves hold the memories I seek.

Documented proof that instead of searching for my child, I should be now looking for the man that he has become. 

“The Doug Gilmour Car”- Believe it or Not Carleton Place?

 

 

My son who owns Motorhouse on Highway 7 has collected things since he was a child. In fact we were always worried he would start another collection if we gave him two of something. He had signed hockey photos and pucks, and even a prize reply letter from famed children’s book author Robert Munsch. To this day I still don’t know what happened to that letter. After Schuyleur found out Munsch had a cocaine problem he immediately flew down to the bottom of Sky’s admiration food chain.

Sky brought in a Corvette to his lot awhile ago that had a story– a real big story that it once belonged to Doug Gilmour of the Toronto Maple Leafs. A few of us (like his Mother) didn’t want to doubt him– but behind closed doors whispers were abound. A lot of whispers–in fact we compared the “John Voight” car that George had on Seinfeld to this whole story. Each time we saw the Corvette Steve and I would quote Seinfeld.

JERRY: You bought a car because it belonged to Jon Voight?

GEORGE (defensive): No, no…

JERRY: I think yes, yes. You like the idea of telling people you’re driving Jon Voight’s car.

GEORGE: Alright, maybe I do. So what.

 

 

It’s not that we didn’t love the car, we just thought the story was far fetched. We kept asking my son if he had  found a chewed up pencil that belonged to Doug Gilmour in the glove compartment. Sky would always  ask us why would he make up something like that? Of all the names he could pick, why settle on Doug Gilmour? Joking I asked him to check out if it wasn’t owned by Doug Gilmour of  Perth. Or better yet,  do a car search and we’ll see whether or not you’re selling the real Doug Gilmour’s car!

This week we noticed that the car was gone and Steve asked me to ask my son what happened to it. The car had been sold, so I now have to eat crow and no more John Voight jokes. The car had indeed belonged to Doug Gilmore from the Toronto Maples Leafs and he had leased it from Roy Foss in Thornhill, Ontario when it was new. The original colour of the car was blue but later painted black. This was the very car Doug drove when the Maple Leafs made their run to the Conference Final 1992-1993.

So who bought the John Voight Doug Gilmour car? Well none other than Carleton Place Canadians ‘man of the hour’  and head coach of Team Canada East in 2015–Jason Clarke. So Schuyleur, as George Constanza once said,“It’s not a lie if you believe it!” and boy you not only believed it, but your defence came in for the win. Maybe we should all be siting in the penalty box right now. 🙂

Everybody’s talking at me
I don’t hear a word they’re saying
Only the echoes of my mind…..

 

Motorhouse Mitsubishi

10446 Hwy 7

Carleton Place, Ontario

(613) 253-5550

http://www.motorhouse.com

 

 

 

 

 

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun and Screamin’ Mamas (USA)

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

 

Yes the Storyland Bunnies Are still Alive and Well I might Add…

It’s What My Son Said….

Something Really Spells Funny on Highway 7

The Mystery of My Smelly Car — Seinfeldism

Are You Getting Creepy Messages on Your Starbucks Coffee Cup?

Touring in the Back Seat of a 1973 Buick Electra Limited

Never Let Your Kids Eat Chicken Stuffed Kale Balls