David was a solid good man. He cared for his family and the life that he led. He was a spiritual man who took pride in his worship and had an emotional intelligence to know when and not to push his beliefs onto others. He knew when it was appropriate to find time for himself. Time well needed so he could reflect on his life and how he could be a better father, husband, son, friend and overall good citizen within the community. He loved the intellectual aspects of his life. He was proud of the grueling hours he spent in grad school. Something he spoke about time and time again. He had a lot of heart for Vancuver, the city where he studied and got his graduate degree in Psychology. It was a city where he not only met his wife Gwen, but a city where he retained knowledge, built a strong work ethic and overall created a foundation that his life settles into this day.

 

As the night got dark and his family was in a deep slumber, excitement grew over him. Now was the time he could have for himself. Taking a moment to reflect on the day and figure out what went wrong, what went right and how to keep navigating through his life. Last week was his birthday and his wife gifted him some new tobacco. It was a special blend of leaves that once lit, the smoke would transport you into a past time. A time where things were much, much slower. No cell phones, no social media, no fast food. A time where knowledge took time to travel across the world and not simply be tweeted in a matter of seconds. This was the pocket he loved to be in at night. It was a time for him to re-energize and ease his mind into a state of gratitude for the life he had. He broke open the fresh new tin of tobacco. Taking his tamper, he slipped it into the lid and popped it open. He quickly brought up the opened container to his nose so he could get a fresh sniff of the tobacco notes that filled the air around him. As he broke up the tobacco leaves he said a prayer in his head, speaking to a god he believed looked over him and his family. This god has challenged him in his life, and the first prayer he sends off is around his third born child, Aness.

 

David cringed inside as he thought about his daughter getting older and making life decisions for herself. At the age of 5, she was already asking for tattoos and then drawing on herself with permanent markers. Aness had no fear. She had to be monitored all day and night. At one point, David thought she might be bold enough to actually jump off the 20ft high back patio balcony, thinking she would survive the fall. The cringe grew tighter within him. His heart began to tighten and sink deep as thoughts raptured his mind about his daughter getting older. He can’t be there all of the time for her. She’ll have to learn how to live in a world filled with madmen and people with ill intentions. Recently, Aness was diagnosed with parkinsons. Earlier on David and Gwen thought Aness was just an unruly child. Where did this girl come from, they would say to each other. The two older children by no means were perfect, but they both didn’t experience learning disabilities as Aness. The lack of focus in Aness was incredible. It was too much to bear to see. David and Gwen prided themselves on their studies and the high-level of intellect they had as individuals. How could they end up with a kid like this? She couldn’t say her alphabet and would stumble through math like an old man picking up a flat penny off a smooth marble floor. As David completed his first prayer of the night his mind was washed over with the realization that Aness was placed into their lives for a reason. If anyone was going to help provide a well guided balanced life approach it was going to be this dynamic couple. Not only did they have the love and patience needed to cope with Aness, they had medical backgrounds to help navigate through the numerous appointments Aness would need to endure throughout her life.