The influence of mothers shapes us in subtle and profound ways. Although every mother doesn’t achieve heroic recognition, their daily choices, their persistent faith in our potential and their quiet wisdom help build the foundation of who we become. Through their example and encouragement, we often find strength we didn't know we had.

During the 1950s, when Eustacia Cutler took her 4-year-old daughter Temple to the doctor, she heard words no mother wants to hear. The doctors diagnosed Temple with autism and then recommended institutionalization — the standard medical advice of that era. They said Temple would never speak, never connect, never thrive.

But Eustacia saw something different in her daughter's eyes. Where others saw only limitations, she noticed how Temple could think in pictures, how she related to animals in unique ways and how she processed the world differently — not wrongly.

Against the prevailing wisdom of the time, Eustacia made a bold decision. Instead of institutionalizing Temple, she created an enriched environment at home. She hired a speech therapist, encouraged Temple's natural interests and, most importantly, presumed competence when others assumed limitation.

Her insight proved transformative. Temple Grandin went on to earn a Ph.D., revolutionize animal science, design more-humane livestock-handling equipment used worldwide and become one of the world's most-influential voices in understanding autism.

Today, Dr. Temple Grandin often credits her success to her mother's early insight. "My mother never gave up on me,” she said. “She recognized that different didn't mean less." Sometimes a mother's wisdom isn't just about raising a child; it's about changing the world's perspective, one person at a time.

Happy Mother's Day!

Gino Pezzani
RE/MAX Heights Realty
www.vanhomesales.com
604-418-9366

In a small mountain village in Japan, an elderly gardener spent 50 years tending to a single cherry tree. Visitors often questioned his dedication to this one tree, especially because the surrounding hillsides burst with thousands of blossoms each spring.

Every year, he studied his tree and pruned it with careful precision. While other trees bloomed in spectacular shows of pink, his tree remained modest but grew slowly and steadily. Some villagers whispered that he had wasted his life on an unremarkable tree.

Then one spring, when the other cherry trees began to fade and a late frost killed the flowers, his tree burst into bloom, making it the only cherry tree still blooming during the village's annual festival.

The gardener's patient cultivation had created a unique variety of tree that bloomed later than others, which ensured the festival would always have cherry blossoms. His decades of careful attention resulted in something extraordinary because he understood that some things require their own perfect timing.

Sometimes the most valuable growth happens in its own time, invisible to others until the moment is right. 

Gino Pezzani

RE/MAX Heights Realty

www.vanhomesales.com

604-418-9366

February is often celebrated as a time for romantic love, but love takes many forms worth honoring. While romance captures attention, the lasting power of committed love, compassionate love and, perhaps most importantly, self-love truly shapes our lives. These deeper forms of love reveal themselves through the care and commitment we show to others — and ourselves — every day.

Prioritizing our health is one of the most profound ways we express self-love. Too often, we place everyone else's needs above our own well-being. But one of the greatest acts of love — for ourselves and for those who care about us — is making time for preventive healthcare.

Many of us know at least one person who discovers that a treatable form of cancer or another health condition could have been caught earlier through routine screening. We often hear, "I just never made the time to get checked out."

Healthcare professionals remind us that serious health conditions often begin silently: A quick blood pressure check might prevent a stroke, a routine mammogram might detect cancer at its most treatable stage, or a basic cholesterol screening might lead to lifestyle changes that add years to our lives.

Timing matters with these screenings. At 40, our bodies begin to send signals to which we should listen. By 45, consider having screenings, such as those for colorectal and prostate health. And at 50, it’s time to check in on bone density and lung health.

Remarkably, these potential life-saving measures require minimal time — 10 minutes for a blood pressure check, 30 minutes for a mammogram and an hour for an annual physical. These small investments can reshape our future.

Remember that our health is the foundation for all of our plans and dreams. Every moment spent on preventive care is a gift — to ourselves and to everyone counting on us to be around for several more years.

With care, 

Gino Pezzani

RE/MAX Heights Realty

www.vanhomesales.com

604-418-9366

 

On Valentine's Day, gestures of love come easily. The ambiance, awash in red and pink, encourages even hesitant hearts to speak up. Streets brim with flowers, chocolates, and myriad gifts, tempting us to demonstrate our feelings in tangible ways. And that's a heartwarming tradition.

But let's not forget: Valentine's Day is not solely about the affection between couples. It's a tribute to every bond we cherish, to the families we're born into, and to the families we choose.

Consistent love, however, isn’t just about the grand gestures on one special day. It’s about the thousand little things we do throughout the year. Anyone can pick out a bouquet or a card, but navigating the stormy seas of disagreement, or understanding when to give space, that's where the depth of a relationship truly shines.

Sometimes, it's wiser to let the dust of conflict settle before attempting a resolution. As opposed to the age-old advice of "never going to bed angry," many have found clarity in taking a moment of pause. A break can often offer perspective, turning mountains back into molehills. But once you have that clarity, approach the issue head-on and seek understanding.

Embrace your loved ones — literally. When words fall short, a heartfelt hug or a tender kiss can bridge gaps like nothing else can. We're beings driven by emotions and chemistry, not just logic. When stress levels peak, our bodies produce stress hormones. But a simple embrace? It floods us with feel-good chemicals, soothing frayed nerves and melting away trivial disagreements.

The essence of growing in a relationship is not to sidestep conflicts, but to understand which battles are worth fighting and which aren't. To differentiate between the fleeting moments of discord and the enduring love that's worth nurturing.

As the years go by, love evolves. The ways you've celebrated it in the past may not resonate now. And that's okay. Keep rediscovering love, and keep celebrating it in ways that are authentic to you.

Wishing you a Valentine’s Day filled with love, today and always!

Gino Pezzani

RE/MAX Heights Realty

www.vanhomesales.com

604-418-9366

Here’s a technique I’ve mentioned before, but it’s so good, it’s worth repeating!

Instead of setting goals and making resolutions for the New Year, try this slightly different idea that might have greater impact on the results you get.

Instead of planning simple goals and resolutions, what if you imagine forward to the time when you are already at your goal, then you ask yourself how you got there?

Instead of saying “I’m going to lose 20 pounds,” or “I’m going to start going on more dates with my spouse,” or “I’m going to start putting 10% of everything I make in savings,” imagine you are already there. Then ask, “How did I get so thin?” “How did my spouse and I get so close and loving this year?” and “How did I get so prosperous?”

This twist is similar to what Noah St. John calls “afformations” in which he talks about turning affirmations on their head. When using this idea in goal setting, instead of affirming what we want in the future, we use the power of our inquisitive mind to picture the result and then ask how we got there. Our minds naturally want to find an answer, and in that answer might lie a more certain path to our goal.

By imagining goals in these terms, too, we’re picturing more than just the goal. We’re picturing the result of the goal.

So go ahead and reframe your New Year’s resolutions. Imagine you’ve already succeeded, and ask “How did I…?

Sincerely,

Gino Pezzani

A few years ago, a young couple went backpacking through Europe and found themselves in a small town in the mountains during the holiday season. The town was beautifully decorated, with twinkling lights adorning every tree and building. One evening, as they were walking back to their hostel, they noticed a small, unassuming shop that they hadn't seen before. Intrigued, they decided to step inside.

The shop was filled with handmade crafts, each one more beautiful than the last. The shopkeeper, an elderly woman with a warm smile, told them that every item in the shop was made by the people in the town. They would spend all year creating these crafts, pouring their heart and soul into each piece, and then sell them during the holiday season. They were touched by the sense of community and the love that was put into each craft. They ended up buying several items to bring back home as gifts.

This experience reminded them of the true spirit of the holiday season. It's not about the hustle and bustle, the endless shopping lists, or the stress of getting everything done. It's about community, love, and the joy of giving.

This holiday season, take a moment to appreciate the magic around you. Remember, it's not about the quantity of gifts, but the quality of the love in our hearts.

Gino Pezzani

RE/MAX Heights Realty

www.vanhomesales.com

604-418-9366

P.S. If you ever find yourself in a small mountain town during the holidays, take the opportunity to step into a local shop. You never know what treasures you might find.

Imagine a world where your small acts of kindness warm your heart, improve your health, strengthen your community bonds and even extend your lifespan.

This is not a utopian dream; it’s the reality for everyday philanthropists—individuals who discover that giving, regardless of the size of their bank accounts, creates a ripple effect of positivity in their lives and the lives of others.

Although we usually correlate philanthropy with wealthy people, anybody, regardless of their income, can enjoy the benefits of giving. Here's a case that proves anyone can be a philanthropist within their means:

While serving in the Navy during World War II, Thomas Cannon survived several accidents that killed more than 300 of his shipmates. Cannon credits his escape from these accidents as the reason for his philanthropy. "Such escapes made me believe that I was being preserved for something,” he says.

Cannon, who began donating money in 1972, frequently chose people whom he heard about in the news. Throughout 33 years, Cannon gifted more than $156,000, often by mailing $1,000 checks to the staff of the local newspaper, with instructions about who should receive the money. His charity helped support a local group that volunteered in the elementary school, a woman who started a youth center in her low-income neighborhood and an orphaned teen who was active in his community.

Cannon managed these donations on a $20,000-a-year postal worker salary. In time, he was forced to quit his job and become a full-time caretaker for his wife. That's when much of his philanthropy came back to him, as the community came together to provide him and his wife with a house and medical care.

Before he died, Cannon suggested the best way to honor his memory would be for others to just “Help somebody.”

Gino Pezzani

RE/MAX Heights Realty

www.vanhomesales.com

604-418-9366