By JEFF BOMBEN
Before passing away in 2007, Dr. Paul Pearshall said, “Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted.”
On Feb. 20, Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan will be celebrating Family Day.
The holiday is on a Monday with both schools and most businesses being closed. The main purpose of the holiday is to enable people to spend more time with their families. Another reason for introducing this day was that there is no holiday between New Year’s Day and Good Friday, a span of over 100 days.
The holiday has been celebrated in Alberta since 1990 but more recently introduced to Ontario citizens in 2008.
As a teenager, I think of this as a great opportunity to hang out with the family for another day and not have to worry about anything else. It’s a day to embrace how hard everyone works.
In my case, it’s a day to remember the great impact my father has had on my life and understand how much he’s done for me in my life.
My father had to overcome losing his wife while having two young children. He has been a leader from day one and has never let us down
My dad challenges us to embrace the tragic death of my mother and take something from it.
He works a lot and the days can be extremely stressful but the key is that he comes home and always has a smile on his face.
We know she is still with us and I can only be honoured that she has left this incredible person that I am super lucky to call my dad.
Family Day can be kind of tricky. It’s a day where most people just want to do as much as possible to be ready for the upcoming week, but we always fail to see the big picture behind the holiday.
The government has given one day to be with our parents or children. Just hang out with them, go out and enjoy yourselves. It might be as simple as watching a movie or going on a day trip.
Set up Family Day traditions making them fun and worthwhile.
Being thankful is another huge aspect of Family Day. Everyone comes from a different background and has a different story. Some people are rich, some people are poor but no matter what the situation is, people work extremely hard.
During the next Family Day, I challenge the staff, faculty and students of Conestoga College to embrace the holiday and try to take something from it.
Embrace that person who is near and dear to you, and be thankful.
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