Little Kienan Hebert is alive and has been returned to his family unharmed.

The suspect remains outstanding.

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News outlets across BC are covering the story in depth, so here are a few links if you would like to read the full story:

• The Vancouver Sun
• The Globe and Mail
• National Post

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Kienan Hebert, 3 yrs old,

is believed to have been abducted from his home in Sparwood, BC

by Randall Hopley, 43 yrs.

Hopley was not known to the Hebert family.

The RCMP are handling the file, and a province wide Amber Alert has been issued.

Kienan has short red hair and was last seen wearing Scooby Doo boxer shorts.

Hopley is believed to be driving a brown 1987 Toyota Camry, BC license plate 098RAL, similar to the one pictured below:

If you have any information on this file, please contact your local police, 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)

To those who have lost their lives in this never-ending fight for freedom, you will never be forgotten.  Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice.

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I am not a military soldier, but I have many friends and co-workers who are either serving or have served overseas.  They will always command my utmost respect and gratitude.

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Not only did motorists Courtney Smith and Harvey Sahsi save the life of a woman who suffered a major heart attack while behind the wheel of her car, they likely saved additional lives with their quick thinking and excellent driving skills when they boxed the woman’s vehicle in and brought it to a stop on Highway #1 during last Friday’s rush hour.  The woman was slumped over the passenger seat, unconscious, as her vehicle slewed across mutliple traffic lanes.  Sahsi and Smith saw the danger and acted in a manner that we should all be proud of.

A work truck of some sort apparently joined in and followed in behind with flashing hazard lights to alert other drivers that something was amiss, as Sahsi used his Jeep to kept the woman’s vehicle from leaving her lane and as Smith used his car to slow the woman’s vehicle down by getting in front of her and using his brakes and bumper-to-bumper contact to slow her to a stop.

It is very difficult to box in a moving vehicle, so I want to give a shout out to Sahsi, Smith and the truck driver, as well as anyone else involved in the rescue, as what they did far exceeds what anyone expected of them.

Kudos to all involved.

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All describe what has occured in Norway. 

My thoughts, prayers and condolences are with the victims, families, friends and loved ones. 

Words cannot touch the sorrow, and I am beyond trying to articulate the numerous emotions racing through my system at the images of fleeing children, destroyed buildings, devestation and loss of life.

At this point, there are conflicting reports on the number of people killed, but even one is too many.

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What this next post illustrates is the compassion strangers are capable of and of the acts of kindness people are willing to bestow on one another for the single of reason of it being the right thing to do.

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My sister-in-law has a very aggressive form of Multiple Sclerosis.  She is young, is mother to an entire family of wonderful children and is wife to a devoted husband.  She also happens to be one of the most amazing women I know.

She is not in a good way but don’t try and say that to her that because she’ll tell you to ‘get stuffed’ and then tell you about the good day she’s having.  Her strength, determination and resolve are testaments to the human spirit.

As her family, we are proud of her and love her beyond measure.

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Earlier this week my sister-in-law travelled to another country for a surgical procedure to clear the veins/arteries in her neck suspected of making her MS worse.  I’m not completely educated on the entire medical end of things but what I do know is this:

• before she became ill, my sister-in-law was an athlete.  She went to the gym, was very active, was the picture of health.
• my sister-in-law has been wheelchair bound for over a year
• on a bad day, my sister-in-law is unable to feed herself or raise a cup to her lips
• on a bad day, my sister-in-law is still able to see the positive

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Her surgery was today.  She walked to bathroom only a few hours post-surgery so I would say it was a success.

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According to those with her, my sister-in-law’s release from hospital was emotional and, in the excitement, no one brought a wallet to pay for a $200.00 prescription.  Her husband was in the process of racing out to get his wallet when a stranger stepped forward and paid the bill.  No questions asked.  When my sister-in-law’s husband tried to repay the stranger, the man refused to take the money and told him to consider it a gift.

How classy is that?

So whoever you are, stranger, thank you.  Your gift could not have gone to a better woman.

Thank you for all you have done, and to my comrades and friends who continue to serve, be smart, be safe, but above all else, be brave.

We, as a country, owe you our freedom.

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

to you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Halloween is always busy for police with constant calls for shots fired, thefts and mischiefs. The shots fired are usually fireworks, but not always.  Thefts at this time of year involve Halloween decorations.  The mischief calls?  Well, they often involve an upset citizen calling in to report the intricately carved pumpkin has been swiped from their front step and smashed to pulp on the street.  Criminals have the once-yearly benefit of being lost in a crowd of costume and disguise, so a note to the good people out there – continue to pay attention to your surroundings and if something seems ‘off’ it probably is.  If in doubt, take a second look and call 911 if appropriate.

All serious talk aside, tonight is a great time  for kids and adults alike, so enjoy your evening!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

By all accounts Laura was a wonderful girl, full of life and with the promise of so much more.

She was a daughter, a friend, a student, an athlete, a soccer player.

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Today, two teams stood in a circle with bowed heads.

Soccer jerseys and ponytails whipped in the harsh fall wind.

Parents on the sidelines took a breath to treasure what is so dear.

Neither team played for North Delta, but not that it mattered.

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My most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Laura Szendrei.  May you one day have peace.