Hi Friends,
Happy Holidays, I hope you all are enjoying the spirit of the season. I know the holidays can be a tough time for many people, but I encourage you to find even the littlest of things to warm your heart. My son and I have enjoyed many walks in the neighbourhood, marvelling in the beauty of the famous bells that decorate the downtown core of Maple Ridge every December. We’ve strolled through Memorial Peace Park, and delighted in the decorations of lights more than once this year, but today, we walked with a different purpose. In an effort to spread a little cheer, we wandered over to Walmart (formerly Target, formerly Zellers) and purchased ten gift cards, $20 each. Then, armed with our gifts, we returned home to prepare the cards. Markus was in charges of decorating the envelopes while I filled each card with the following message “Happy Holidays! As you enter a New Year, please remember: 1. You are important 2. You are special 3. You are loved. Enjoy a gift on us!” We invited my Mom along for our adventure, and delighted at the idea, she went out and bought 10 instant noodle bowls to contribute.
Throughout our travels for the remainder of the day, we kept our eye out for neighbours who might appreciate a little cheer. We roamed alleys and back roads looking for friends who could put a Walmart gift card to good use. We saw some of the most beautiful smiles today; people who were truly appreciative and genuinely thankful. I hope to make this an annual tradition. I’d like to raise my son not to fear the man pushing the shopping cart full of belongings. I want him to know these are our neighbours, and they deserve every bit of respect that we would give any other neighbour. I want my son to smile at everyone, treat them with kindness, and maybe even stick around for a chat or to lend a helping hand when needed. Some of the greatest people I know have been through some of the toughest times, and I am raising my son to see the value in every human no matter where they’re at in their journey. Treating other humans, like humans, that is how we feed our good wolf.
It’s the truth, some of the greatest people I know have been through the toughest of times. In fact, some of the people I would consider my heroes have done the hardest of time, and by that I mean jail time. If you weren’t aware, I worked in Corrections for ten years prior to starting this journey into entrepreneurship. But don’t judge me on my past, I’ve come a long way since then. Now, I’m proud to say that some of my friends are former inmates, but boy are they so much more than that.
Let’s start with Fred. Fred is a friend of my Dad’s. When I met Fred up at his big property in the Shushwap I instantly felt connected to him. He is the kind of person that I could talk to for hours. Fred was an inmate in the jail I worked at, while I was working there. We have no real recollection of each other, but as far as timelines match up, we were definitely same place, same time. Fred has a checkered past riddled with addiction and crime. The Fred I know now is a devout Christian, dedicated AA host, and an incredible friend. Fred’s been there for me and my family through some very tough times. Every Christmas he’s delivered my Step Mom’s delicious holiday baking and a gift from Grandpa and Grandma for my son down to Maple Ridge. Fred and I have dreamed of using his big, beautiful property as a retreat for folks exiting the justice system; a safe place to land, to recharge, to prepare for the next stage in life. I hope one day Fred and I can work together to see that dream through, but for now he will support his community by starting up the first AA groups in the North Shushwap area.
Next is Nelson. Nelson was also in reds while I was still in blues (an inmate while I was an officer). Then, as fate would have it, he ended up as a client at the same non-profit where I worked. Nelson wasn’t a client for long though. He dedicated himself to mentoring other clients, enrolled in school, volunteered at shelters, and was hired on as a peer support worker. Nelson started a rather famous knitting program where he taught other clients “looming” and donated hundreds (more likely thousands) of toques to the homeless over the past two years. Knitting isn’t Nelson’s only act of service, he is constantly taking on projects, helping clients or friends. It’s not unusual for me to get an invite from Nelson to help pack and organize an elderly friends home to prepare them for an upcoming move on a Saturday afternoon. His looming program has been blasted all over the media, and I think it’s only scratching the surface of the things Nelson will come to achieve.
Then there’s Guy. Guy was a cleaner on one of the units I worked at Pretrial back in 2012. As he mopped the floors of the common area, he would tell me about how he wanted to become a motivational speaker some day. I told him to go for it, and I never forgot him. I found him years later on LinkedIn. A former inmate on LinkedIn was unheard of, Facebook maybe, but not LinkedIn. But Guy wasn’t any former inmate. After years battling addiction and the cycle of criminality Guy turned it all around. He was a two time TedX speaker. I was floored, I watched his talks intently and messaged him on LinkedIn telling him my recollection of that interaction so many years ago. This past summer, Guy was the guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting for the non-profit organization where I worked. I had the pleasure of enjoying a meal with him and chatting the night away. A few weeks later I had the pleasure of meeting his beautiful wife and three children. His wife is also a recovery advocate who tackles the troubling narrative of the “wine mom” culture, along with setting healthy boundaries and building self-confidence. Guy is the ultimate TSN turning point, seventh inning stretch comeback story. I am so proud to call him a friend.
Lastly, there’s Jason. I just met Jason, he’s my best friend’s boyfriend. Like the others, Jason wore reds while I wore blues. Today, Jason works through a non-profit organization as a Support Worker. He gets to use his experiences with crime and addiction to guide others in their journey. He’s a dedicated father and an awesome partner. I can’t wait to get to know him more and I’m so happy to see him making my dearest friend happy.
The thing is, not every one can be a success story. For every Fred, Nelson, Guy and Jason there’s a thousand others still on there journey that might not make it back to where society wants to see them. I sure have helped and believed in a few that weren’t ready for change. But I’ll never regret believing in a human that no one else saw the value in. I truly believe there is value in every human. Every one is worthy of kindness and support. Every one is important. Every one is special. Every one deserves to be loved.
So this holiday season, I hope you will feed your good wolf by treating others with the kindness and respect they deserve, no matter where they’re at in their journey.
Thanks for reading friends.
Be kind, take care and feed your good wolf.
Happy Holidays!
Jerrica