Sunday, 12 February 2017

Iris's Bench in the Dog Park

On this sunny Sunday noon, nearly six months after Iris passed away, I finally went to visit the completed park bench at Kings Mill Dog Park in North Vancouver
 
This bench was a gift from her friends at KPMG, and her friends from Toronto as well.  I wanted to thank them all for this touching memorial to Iris - it is a reminder of the legacy that Iris left behind. I know that she would have loved that bench, and I plan to visit it often. Knowing that she meant this much to others reaffirms the many reasons I love her. 
 
For those of you that don't know, Iris and I went to this park often, where we taught our dog, Chopper, to be nice to other dogs. Well, Chopper isn't always nice, especially around my neighbourhood, but he is nice at that park. It holds a special place in my heart, and even more so with the bench there. I did visit the bench when it came up before the plaque was put in place. You will see the attached picture of Chopper 'christening' the bench. There's also a picture of me there today - kindly taken by Ada and Eugene, Ada being the coordinator that made this possible. 
 
The donations that were beyond the cost of the bench were given to the BC Cancer Foundation. This foundation helps fund cancer research such as Personalized Oncogenomics and clinical trials for chemotherapy treatment. Iris benefited from both, so it's something I care deeply about. 

I hope you are all well. Be kind to yourself and to all that you cross paths with.