<body bgcolor="#999999" link="#355677" vlink="#5786B5" alink="#355677"><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener("load", function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <iframe src="http://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID=10032227&amp;blogName=The+Urban+Country&amp;publishMode=PUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT&amp;navbarType=BLUE&amp;layoutType=CLASSIC&amp;homepageUrl=http%3A%2F%2Furbancountry.blogspot.com%2F&amp;searchRoot=http%3A%2F%2Furbancountry.blogspot.com%2Fsearch" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" height="30px" width="100%" id="navbar-iframe" title="Blogger Navigation and Search"></iframe> <div></div>

The Urban Country is an anti-war, environmentally friendly site that contains funny quotes of the week, political commentary/mockery, current events, and real-life stories and deep thoughts.

writer/editor
James D. Schwartz is a 28-year old Internet Architect and tree-hugger, living and working in downtown Toronto. He is passionate about hockey, kayaking, computers, nature, lifelong learning, politics, peace, history, equality, reading, writing, and traveling. You can contact Jim @ jim_schwartz9@yahoo.com
View my LinkedIn Profile.

Quote
Quote of the week: “Our personal consumer choices have ecological, social, and spiritual consequences. It is time to re-examine some of our deeply held notions that underlie our lifestyles.” Dr. David Suzuki

volunteer work
. Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto
. Noah's Ark Ministries
. Kids Help Phone
. Greenpeace Canada

side projects
. Jim @ imason

tech articles
. Silverlight in Desktop Applications

sites i visit
. Eric Margolis
. DavidSuzuki.org
. American Conservative Magazine
. Amnesty International
. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. The Toronto Star
. Globe and Mail
. BBC News
. Org for World Equity and Unity
. Environmentalists Against War
. Canadian Red Cross
. imason inc.

other blogs
. iBrett: Musings That Reveal
. GeorgePechtol
. Cranky Putz
. Independent Country
. James Fallows @ The Atlantic
. Kapica's Cyberia Blog

toronto links
. blogTO
. Torontoist
. Toronto Waterfront revitalization corp
. Toronto Live Webcam
. Bike Toronto
. Camp-X Official Site
. Grenadier Military Books

books i'm reading
Walden - Henry David Thoreau
Oil on the Brain - Lisa Margonelli

music
1. Eddie Vedder
2. Queens of the Stone Age
3. Rebel Emergency
4. Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker

movies
1. Into The Wild
2. American History X
3. The Usual Suspects
4. American Beauty
5. The Hurricane
6. Crash

todo list
. Study Chinese
. B.Comm degree ('06-09)
. Read the Bible and Quran
. Volunteer abroad
. Skydiving
. Marriage & Kids
. Write a book

completed list
. Snowmobile the Rockies
. Hong Kong & China
. Vancouver, Whistler & Banff
. Los Angeles & San Diego
. Competed in a triathalon
. Puerto Rico
. Motorcycle to Maritimes
. New York City
. White Water rafting
. CompSci Diploma
. Las Vegas Road Trip
. Offroad Jeeping in Utah

archives

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

RSS Feed XML | Where are you from? Please sign The Urban Country Guestbook
test title

Friday, October 29, 2004

 

We'll always remember you Opa

On Wednesday, October 29th, 2003, one year ago today, my Opa (Grandpa) passed away peacefully in his sleep in his 77th year. His name was Cornelis (Case) Veldhuizen. He had a very profound impact on my life. I spoke at his funeral, and I wanted to share my words from that day last year.

"Over the years, this man has taught me many things about life. He has taught me to enjoy life. To have a little bit of fun at everything I do. To make a joke, or pull a small prank. He liked to live his life to the fullest. When playing pool against him, I remember how he would block my cue as I was about to shoot. He always had that happy grin on his face. There was never a dull moment, never any sadness in his eyes. His eyes were always gleaming with joy. If he became tired, he would go take a nap. An hour or two later, he’d be up and at it again.

He taught me how important it is to eat a bowl of cereal in the morning. He always said you need to eat your Special K to get your “Get up and go”. He could always beat me in an arm wrestling match, no matter what his age.

He taught me not to be afraid of death. That when we die, we will go to a wonderful place.

He also taught me to be extremely careful when using a Barbeque. Because as you all know, his barbeque caught on fire many years ago and burned off all his hair. Or so he used to tell me. That was the type of sense of humor Opa had. He always made us laugh.

And last but not least, the most important thing this man has taught me is how important it is to have a hero in your life that you will always remember. Opa is that special person in my life. When I look up into the stars at night, I can see him up there with a large grin on his face, giving me two thumbs up. He knows how much he means to me, and how much he will always mean to me. Some day we will meet again Opa. Thank you for being my hero."