Published: May 01, 2008 10:38 pm         

A Canuck in Kantuck: Simple acts of kindness

When I opened the yellow envelope yesterday to discover a birthday card sent to me by a lady I had met once, I wrapped myself up in the kindness. The card had been sent by one Wanda Parvin-Titus, who not only offered me her best wishes but also hoped I had a safe trip.

I have to admit, I didn’t recognize the name immediately. But I eventually realized I met Ms. Titus while interviewing the London Writers Group for a story. When they asked me if I would be attending their writers workshop, I explained I was going home to Winnipeg for my 31st.

And Wanda remembered.

Three years ago, I would have been shocked by such acts of kindness. Not anymore. This issue marks my three-year anniversary at The Sentinel-Echo and over the years I have come to expect to be inspired — by people’s kindness, by people’s dedication, by people’s plain and simple effort.

It’s time those inspiring people be recognized.



Patricia Klink



Ms. Klink called me in January to ask if I would be willing to write about Project Linus, an organization that provides blankets to children who need them. I immediately agreed and we set up a time to meet.

As we sat down to interview, she had a big smile on her face and handed me an object wrapped in The Sentinel’s finest.

“This is for your mother,” she said.

When I opened the gift, I saw it was a water glass from Expo 1967.

Ms. Klink explained she had read one of my columns months before. In it, I had written the story of how my mom and Peter, my other dad, met — while standing in line at the German Pavilion at Expo in Montreal.

It turns out, Ms. Klink had also been to the world’s fair — though made it clear she did not come away with fond memories thanks to some strict Catholic school nuns.

But she kept her Expo memento for the next 40 years. Now it stands in my mom’s dining room china cabinet, incredibly treasured.



Lola Jean Miller’s friends





I always get emotional watching people become Americans at the naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Court House. But when I saw 40 of Lola Jean Miller’s friends show up to surprise her — dressed in patriotic clothes, to boot — I fought tears. What a great day that was, watching Ms. Miller, a fellow Canadian, be handed her stars and stripes. And how nice that her friends celebrated the occasion with her.



Connie Hodge





I always think about how much I would have loved to go to school in Laurel County. And if I could have had one teacher, it would be Ms. Hodge. I met her after she invited me to write about the Iditarod. She and her fellow teachers had incorporated the dog sled race in all of their teaching — from math problems to social studies.

This year, I found out she was once again up to something creative. She wrote a grant to get equipment to put on a TV show, got it, and for the past year has spearheaded WJAGS, a TV show that students put together each week. Each segment incorporates core content, including a history fact, the weather, even music lessons. The kids seem to love it and the neat thing is they’re learning. I did too. Last night, I actually had a dream about how to answer an open response question as taught by the math master. I underlined verbs all night.



Stephanie Hoskins





While I would have loved to have Ms. Hodge for a teacher, I would actually like to be Stephanie Hoskins. Nearly every morning — regardless of weather — she gets up at 5 a.m. to go for a jog. In my book, it doesn’t get any more responsible than that.

I met Ms. Hoskins after her mom called and told us she’d just run the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. Talking to Stephanie, the experience sounded amazing. And none of it was lost on her. The way she described the crowd cheering her on, the marching bands, the scenery, the dance teams, the people standing outside banging pots and pans, I was, frankly, ready to sign up. I’ve thought about her experience a lot over the past months. I hope she does it again next year.



Malisha Hodges



Definitely the hardest story I ever wrote was about Malisha, a woman I never met or spoke to but who inspires me still. In January, Malisha, who’d been diagnosed with terminal cancer, told her mom she wanted to bring her family to Disney World to leave her two young sons with a happy memory. When family friends heard about the wish, they started to fundraise and, soon, it became a community-wide effort. Thanks to everyone’s help, The Hodges made it to Florida.

But the story was about much more than Disney. The more people I talked to, the more I got an idea of who was behind that wish. I would have loved to know Malisha Hodges. Everyone I talked to told me about her ability to soothe others — even when facing the horror of her fate. Imagine how strong you’d have to be, how kind, how selfless.

And it’s exactly that selflessness I have witnessed so often in Laurel County. I feel both grateful and humbled. So, thank you. What lessons you’ve taught.



This column is dedicated to Ras-cal the Hamster. May she rest in peace.