Speech #1 - The Ice Breaker

Dr. Paul Pearsall wrote, “Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted.”

Madam Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters and welcome guests. I stand before you today tasked with the assignment of telling you about who I am. I am and will always be a family man. I am a son. I am a brother. I am a husband. I am a father. None of these roles have come easy, but I would not trade any of them for the world.

I was born in October of 1981 in Burnaby, BC. At the age of three, my path was forever altered when my parent’s got divorced. My mother moved back to Penticton, and my sister and I stayed in Burnaby with my father.

Growing up with a single Dad had many challenges. From the age of four to thirteen I attended eleven different schools - four in grade eight alone. Most kids have to make new friends once or twice through grade school. For me, making new friends was a yearly chore.

I had a distant relationship with my Mom. Don’t get me wrong, she was there for my sister and me. I talked to my mother on the phone a couple of times a week and I even got to visit with her monthly, but neither were a solid substitute for having her in my life every day.

Like so many other young children of broken homes, I longed for the day when my parents would put aside their differences and reunite. However, unlike so many of those children, my dream became a reality. At thirteen, after both of my parents had remarried and redivorsed, fate brought them back together. My family became whole again. Reunited and living in Penticton.

The universe had made it clear to me what was important.

After high school, I moved to Kelowna to attend university. In the winter of 2001, while I was home from for my winter break, my sister got sick. The doctors didn’t know what it was. On Christmas Day, she slipped into a coma and was rushed by air ambulance to St. Paul’s Hospital. That morning my family headed to join her in Vancouver.

January came along and I was do back at university. Despite still being in a coma, my sister was doing better and the doctors were optimistic. So off to university I went.

Three weeks later, I got the worst phone call of my life. “Daryl,” it was the family friend my parents were staying with, “your sister has taken a turn for the worse. You need to go to the airport and get on the next plane to Vancouver so that you can say your goodbyes.” He had already arranged the ticket.

When I got to the airport, the fog had rolled in. All flights were cancelled - I had to take the bus. On a seven hour ride from Kelowna to Vancouver I sat and waited, with nothing to do but get trapped in my own thoughts. When I arrived, I was greeted with the news that the swelling in my sister’s brain had gone down and should would survive the night. A few weeks later, she came out of the coma, and she eventually made a full recovery.

The universe had again made it clear to me what was important.

The next year at university I met Erin, the love of my life. Within a week of dating, I knew she was the one. Even then, I knew she would be a wonderful wife and an even better mother. In 2006, we got married and started trying for children. About a year later, when we had yet to strike gold, we went to the doctor to find out if there was a medical reason for our troubles. As it turns out, there was and we were hit with the news that we were very unlikely to conceive children through traditional means.

This was difficult news for my wife and me. Both of us had known that we wanted children for much of our lives. The stress of this challenge was unbearable, but my wife and I are determined people.

After three and a half years, tens of thousands of dollars and countless tears, our son was conceived. In March of this year, our greatest dream was realized with the birth of our son.

Once again, the universe had made it clear to me what was important.

Throughout my life, my family has always been important. If my family life had been without challenges would I appreciate my family as much? Maybe. Maybe not.

What I do know is that I must always remember the lessons of family that I have learned. I must appreciate the fact that I have both my parents and that they have each other. I mustn’t forget how close I was to losing my sister before I got to see her grow up. And I must forever cherish the gift of my wife and son.

Madam Toastmaster.