November 28, 2023 Proud Dad

Time; the most precious commodity we have in life. Time; the one thing we can’t stop from moving. Time; something that I have watched flow through my little girl. A girl who is not so little anymore. 

A girl who is racing toward womanhood. 

It was such a short time ago I watched her take her first steps. At least it feels that way. And yet it was over fifteen years ago, or was it sixteen? In those days of her infancy I began to put away money for a future I had no idea about. All I knew was there would come a time when she would need my support and help.

Time; one thing I wish I had more of.

Alas, the last few weeks have been a blur as time has come to pass. The time for her to sprout her wings and grow. She is trying to figure out which university to attend. Can it really be that soon? From first steps and now to early registration and exploration of the next stage in her life. We traveled to Calgary and attended an open house for the U of C. What a whirlwind that was.

Then it was off to our local university. UBCO doesn’t hold the same allure that a big city campus does. She also wasn’t keen on going to Vancouver and attending UBC. That is until we went there and had a campus tour. Things changed in a hurry and suddenly it was crunch time. Time was running out. Early applications were due December 1.

Time…

My parents saved every family allowance check they received for me and put it in a savings account so I could go to university. Except I screwed around and screwed up. I never went to university, but I did use the money to help buy my first house so it was money well spent. 

That was a lifetime ago now. 

With my dad’s help, I started her an RESP account when she was taking her first steps. The government contributed $ 500.00 of what I contributed to her RESP every year. Now her college fund is enough for her to go to university for four years without worry. Her marks are out of this world and with a GPA of over 97 percent she can pretty much go to any university she wants.

There is still a lot of work to do. She needs to do more than just have great grades to receive all the scholarships out there. She needs to be a good citizen as well. A well-rounded person, how can anyone be that perfect? Aim high I tell her. 

It is intimidating how many grants, bursaries and scholarships are out there. I am proud and grateful she is in a position to take advantage of them. The first deadline is fast approaching. On December 1st she needs to have her application submitted to Calgary and UBC to qualify for the first scholarships available. 

I watch my little girl getting grades most can only dream of. It makes me burst with pride when I see her report card. Pre-calculus 99 percent, Human Kinetics – 100 percent! No wonder she has desires to become a doctor. 

Everyone is put on this earth for a purpose. I can only hope that my purpose was to help my daughter become the best she can be. God knows I blew it when I was her age. I was too busy smoking weed and skipping school to get grades like hers. 

So proud.

And grateful she didn’t follow in my footsteps. I wanted to be a writer and go to university, yet I never followed through. Now over thirty years later I try to pursue that dream. It’s not like my life was a failure, but I have regrets. One thing I don’t regret is my little girl.

I hope she can live her best life. I want her to follow her dream of being a pediatric oncologist. I will do everything I can to be there and support her in following that dream. Our world needs the next generation to be the best it can be. 

When I grow old I will look back at this time and smile with pride. My little girl isn’t so little anymore. Soon she will spread her wings and fly. 

I will be there to help her on the way.