Gratitude

Today’s blog post is a bit of a mix, but mainly about being grateful. As I was flipping through my photos looking for something that I could use as a feature image I came across this one of my mother, Lorraine, and my older brother, Dave. Dave had come to the city to visit us and I snapped the photo while we were at Boston Pizza for lunch. I thought it was a great picture of the two of them and would highlight one of the things I am grateful for. Of course, that is my family.

Speaking of family, and just so my younger brother, Doug, doesn’t think I like Dave more, I figured I should include a picture of him. Dave is seventeen months older than me, while Doug is five years younger. He is the “baby” of the family. 😊

Doug Cheke – Photo from Revv52 Website

Doug, apart from working with his husband in their staging business in Calgary, is a singing member of Revv52. He is a tenor. I don’t know if that means he sings twice as high, or twice as low, as a fiver. 😊 From their website: “Revv52 is a Calgary-based pop and rock performance ensemble made up of 52 auditioned vocalists, singing on individual microphones alongside our in-house live band. More like a rock concert than a traditional choir, Revv52’s format is unique in North America, and explains why the group creates such a buzz with their sold-out shows, viral videos, and a community of fans from around the world.” Revv52 is also known as Canada’s Vocal Energy Group.

The last time Doug was here, not so long ago, he was telling Denise and I about the musical group and how he always has to get over his fears and apprehensions to take part in all the musical events he participates in. His bio on the Revv52 website reads: “Doug’s journey into performing arts is a testament to resilience. After auditioning for the lead in “Oliver!” at age 9 and NOT getting the part, he stepped away from the stage for decades. He has since returned with great enthusiasm, performing with Calgary Opera, Front Row Centre, and Nightingale Arts Collective. His key takeaway: It’s never too late to sing!” While Doug was here, we went out for the occasional meal and once when returning to my place we parked underground, as is typical, and Doug was talking about a song he recorded for an audition. I asked to see and hear it, so while Doug, Denise and I were standing in the underground parkade Doug played the video recording for us. It was an ABBA song, a group that Doug has always loved, and he did a wonderful job of it. Watching and listening made me tear up with such joy and pride for my baby brother. Although a bit envious of his obvious courage, I was more than happy for him and for what he has done to get past his own fears and to do something he loves – fears be damned. By the way, I titled this memory/occasion, “the parkade serenade.”

There are so many times in my life when I sit and think about how grateful I am, for who I am, where I am, for what I have; for the people in my life, and all the things that I enjoy. When I think about being grateful, I always come back to thinking that all of it is due to my beautiful wife, Denise who has been such a strong and supportive person, in a good way. She’s ensured that we’ve always landed well, that we’ve always had a full cupboard, always had a couple vehicles to drive, things like that. So, the other day I went out for a drive and to have an Egg McMuffin and a drink at McDonald’s. It’s almost 40 degrees below zero outside and I’m in my beautiful vehicle. It’s running, it’s warm. I had just replaced the battery the day before because it had gone kaput, and the beauty of that is that I had the money to get the SUV fixed. I know we don’t have loads and loads of money, but gosh, we’ve always been able to manage. So, as I’m sitting eating my breakfast, I’m just thinking about how grateful I am! Even sitting with the frozen landscape just outside my window, the sun is shining brightly, and it warms my soul. It just doesn’t get any better than this, I think.

I am also grateful for where I live, and although I truly hate winter, those in my community work hard to ensure that everything runs smoothly, even in the blizzards. Just the day before my breakfast outing, I had been looking out my balcony window watching a staggered row of five graders clear the main roadways. I thought of the cartoon below, where Loaf and Little Loaf share another bonding moment.

The Ballet – Created by Don Cheke

Keeping with that thought, have you ever noticed how all men love to watch heavy equipment in action? It just doesn’t get old. When I hear the blades scaping on the ground outside, I am sure to hop up and go to the window for a look. I sometimes grab DeeDee’s hand and have her come share in the excitement, but I don’t think she finds it as amazing as I do. She stays though, as she can see how important it is to my happiness. 😊 The line that Little Loaf uses in the cartoon, is what I said when DeeDee was standing by me while the magic occurred. I shouldn’t add this, but when I made a recording of my thoughts about making this cartoon and talking about the graders, I said, “Men just love this shit!” Too funny! LOL! I just had to add that because men like that kind of humor too! 😊

While I was thinking about all this “men” stuff, I remembered a time in my older brother Dave’s life when he and his son, Daniel, were out and about. Dave was showing Daniel how to make the car sound like a race car. There are two things about this that are funny. The first is that they were probably in the family Dodge Caravan at the time (not very race-car-ish, right), and the second was that Daniel would pipe up every now and again and say to his dad, “Make it sound like a race car Dad!” Isn’t that cute!?

As I have said, I am just so grateful for my life! I can’t think of a better place to be in the world, and I can’t think of better people to be surrounded by in my small corner of the world, and others I have met through global connections. I can’t think of a better time to be living! We’re technologically advanced in so many fantastic ways. We get to live long lives due to the wonderful healthcare we get. Amazing!

I have said this many times in my blog posts, but I am happy to have been born into the family I was, even with its rough start due to alcoholism and dysfunction. My mother did such a good job in steering her whole family towards well-being and recovery. For some reason, probably her modeled behaviors, my brothers and I all took that on as our own and have all done marvelous things to be healthy and happy. I am even grateful for my baggage and the issues I have to deal with, as they provide a springboard to further recovery. It’s funny, but that is a common sentiment from people who have been in Al-Anon a long time. It’s not so much that they are grateful for the alcoholic’s suffering, or the suffering at the personal and family level, but rather that it was part of the path to recovery, which did lead to much comfort and happiness, and of course, much to be grateful for.

I hope that you have a fulfilling life, and that you share many or most of the things I do which make you feel that wonderful feeling of gratefulness. It just makes life so worth living!

Donald B. Cheke – December 9, 2024