Grandma Erno (paternal grandmother): She and I shared a love of music. She started teaching me to play the piano and I loved spending time with her. She was easy to be around. I was her oldest grandchild and she was a loving grandparent. She also showed me bravery. She was a British war bride who left her family and everything she knew behind to come to Canada and live on a farm in the middle of nowhere until her new husband could join her. She is no longer with us but her influence is felt to this day.
Dad: I was a real daddy's girl. I loved to be around him and he taught me to build and work on cars. He also played barbies and school with me. He was easy to talk to and always showed unconditional love. He celebrated all my achievements, no matter how small. He always took time for me even when I had 3 siblings. He battled cancer for 3 years and finally lost about 12 years ago. I still miss him dreadfully. He has been such a large part of making me who I am.
Michael John (cousin): He was 6 months younger than me. He was fun and even though he was a boy, an important distinction when you're only 7, we always played together. My aunt was a single mom for the first years of his life and I learned from him complete devotion to another person.
Mademoiselle Glavina (2nd grade teacher): From her, I got my love of reading and joy for learning. Because of her, I loved going to school. I struggled to make friends and she worked with me to help me with this. She believed in me and encouraged me to do things that were out of my comfort zone. In her class, I played the evil queen in a class production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. That was quite a feat for someone as shy and insecure as I was. She knew that I would shine.
Mom: My mom was and still is a shaping influence in my life. I learned patience and perseverance from her. She wouldn't let me quit. She stayed home with us while my dad worked and was always busy with our school, girl guides, dance lessons, piano lessons. She organized our lives and was the rock that stabilized our family. I learned to go with the flow from her. When my dad would come home on Thursday night with the idea of going camping for the weekend, she would immediately jump into action and get everything a family of 6 would need.
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