To the older Gentleman at the east end Walmart this morning,

I'd like to thank you for the ignorant comment you decided to yell at me while I was exercising my legal right to nurse my child in public before you scurried away like the rat that you are. I was in such shock that I didn't have anything to say at the time but it has given me much to think about. Frankly, I wasn't about to yell any of the numerous things rolling through my mind because I decided to be the bigger person. I'm not going to try to educate you on the benefits of breastfeeding or the legal and social struggles women throughout the world experience on a daily basis when all we want to do is feed our hungry children. And to be honest, it's not worth my time and effort to attempt to educate the ignorant, I have better things to do. But I would like to thank you.

Thanks for being the first person to negatively comment on my decision to breastfeed in public, it has made me appreciate the rest of society so much more. In the 2+ years I've been nursing my children I've never once come across a single person with something negative to say. In fact, most people are extremely kind and supportive. I'm so grateful to them, they've made my breastfeeding journey so rewarding. I know that what I'm doing is the best thing for my children and it's always nice to have strangers acknowledge it too.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to think about my rights as a parent. I am grateful to live in a country where breastfeeding is a human right. Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms I have the right to nurse my child wherever and whenever my child and I choose. There are so many women in this world who don't have that right and that is truly a shame.

Thanks for encouraging me to continue to nurse my child for as long as she wishes to be nursed and to nurse her wherever she wants to be. If you thought that by making derogatory comments that it would convince me otherwise, you're very mistaken. We had a very difficult start and I have no intention of giving it up any time soon. It is after all what we as mammals were designed to do.

Thanks for the opportunity to speak out about breastfeeding and encourage other moms who have chosen to nurse their child to do what makes them comfortable. Perhaps they prefer to pump and bottle feed or maybe they'd rather cover up and while this may make you happier, it doesn't work for us and I wouldn't want it to. I prefer to feed my baby wherever and whenever she is hungry and neither of us feels a need to cover up. Even if that means nursing her while pushing a shopping cart. Ultimately, if seeing me nurse in public encourages just one more mom to feel comfortable to do the same, I know that I've made this world a better place.

I'm sure that if this ever gets to you, you'll never read it. Ignorance will do that to a person. I do however want to leave you with one thought given your age, odds are you were breastfed too.

I just want to say Thank You to the wonderful lady that works at the Tim Hortons in the Pioneer gas station on Walker rd. Every morning at 5:30 I go there for my tea before work and I am always greeted with a friendly smile and you always have my tea ready just the way I like it. You help start my day off right. Thank you!

I was in metro (on huron church )picking up a chicken meal for my mom at 6 pm today , i had my three boys with me . While in the line there was a very kind older lady ahead of me who gave each of my kiddies a dollar to pick themselves up a treat , (they went to the dollar store and got chocolate bars 😊😊😊) i just wanted to say how very sweet that was , and to that lady ,youve def been spotted 💞

Today as I was driving I seen an older gentleman in a wheelchair stuck on the tracks on Jefferson. I was saying out loud is he stuck ya I think he's stuck. As my 6 year old is saying what, who. I turned around at the first street and by the time I got back there was around 4 people helping him. Thank goodness for them he looked stuck pretty good. I didn't stop at this point, me being 8 months pregnant I wouldn't be much more help. But I wanted to say I spotted you all. What great people you are. And I am going to try to call someone tomorrow about those tracks.

I wanted to share an experience I had this week. As usual I was in a rush like many people in the city with our busy day to day lives. I was just finishing up developing some photos from my recent wedding and I heard the voice of someone behind me who sounded a bit confused about the photo machine. I looked into the reflection of the screen and saw an older man patiently waiting behind me, holding his camera, and inquiring as to what the machine did. I turned around and offered to help him with his photos. For the next several minutes we proceeded to flip through pictures of neighbours and friends until we came upon a picture that brought tears to his eyes. He was at a loss for words. I caressed his back and asked if it was his wife. He said yes and that she had recently passed away. I too began to cry. I asked him how long they were married for and he said 57 years. Her name was Margaret and by his own omission, she was an incredibly beautiful, kind, and forgiving person. As he spoke of his wife thoughts ran through my mind of how painful it would be to loose the love of your life after all those years. Yet, he seemed so grateful for having those years because most people never get that much time. We spent the next two hours just talking and I quickly forgot about all the things I had to do that day. We discovered that we both shared the same career path and a love and passion for teaching. In fact, he was a teacher at my former high school but retired before I started. I learned that he outlived all of his older siblings and that he and Margaret had no children. Again, I felt sad that he had no kin or immediate family. But instead of focusing on that, he commented numerous times about how fortunate he was to have known so many great friends in his life. Most importantly, he spoke with a calm confidence that this life is really just about the love and kindness we have for one another. It was clear that in his 83 years, he had come to know early on, what many of us find out far too late in life. As our chat came to an end, I gave him my phone number and asked if I could visit him again. He quickly began to tear up. He thanked me graciously for my companionship and agreed that we would meet again soon. I am certain he thinks I helped him in some way but the truth is, his gift was far greater. This man got me to stop and think about the things that really matter in life. So often we get caught up in our own issues or stresses and forget to look to the bright side. We forget to be grateful. And we forget about the power of human connection. It's not the cars we drive, the house we live in, the places we go, or the things we own. It's about the love we have for one another. That's really all its about. Without it we have nothing. We must be more kind, patient, and generous to one another; open doors and say thank you. And when you see a funeral procession, pull over and show respect; no one is in that much of a hurry. You will greatly appreciate it some day when it's your family member. People will always remember how you made them feel, so make that impact a positive one. And unless you've walked in someone's shoes, never assume you know their struggles; everyone's path is different. Appreciate the time you have with your loved ones. I'm sure my new friend would give anything to have just one more day with his beautiful wife. Live your life in such a way that at the end, you have no regrets. And lastly, don't be afraid to talk to a stranger. At the end of the day, we're all just people trying to navigate our way through this beautiful thing we call life.

Thank you for calling me when you found my dog many blocks from my home (Dougall and Erie). She is fairly new to our family and I was heart broken when I looked up to see that she had taken off on me while I was outside with her. I am sorry if I didn't sound pleasant when you initially called as I thought you were someone wanting to sell me something at the most inconvenient time. When my husband came to pick her up you had walked away too quickly for him to give you a reward. You are an amazing person.

My son lost his wallet last week when he was in windsor last week! Today when I picked up the mail, a pckage was there for him! It was his wallet, Thank you to the kind stranger for taking the time to return his wallet! You just saved a 16yr old the hassle of replacing his ID! It is nice to know there are honest and kind people out there.

Today I was going to the orthopedic clinic. I had to park a distance as that was all that was available. I was walking on my crutches when a young lady and her son drove up and asked if I would like a ride to the door. I thanked her and decided to take the ride. As soon as I sat down her son happily said hi and we talked for a moment as she drove me up to the door. When I returned I walked to the car and she came up and helped me in the car and helped me with my crutches.
It was such a sweet thing for her to do. She did not have to help me both times she could have driven right on by.
I thank you and your son for such kindness it was greatly appreciated.