A woman stepped outside for her usual morning walk when something made her pause. The air felt different — crisp enough to hint at autumn yet still holding summer’s warmth. Above her, a single maple leaf drifted down and then landed softly on the sidewalk in a splash of golden yellow.

For the first time in months, she wasn’t mentally rehearsing her to-do list. The urgency that had driven her through summer’s packed schedule seemed to have lifted overnight. September had arrived with its quiet invitation to slow down.

As she continued her walk, more signs revealed themselves: Children’s laughter echoed from the school playground, she noticed more people wearing light sweaters, and beach visits were being replace with apple-picking trips, and the morning light seemed gentler, casting longer shadows that whispered of shorter days ahead.

She realized September carries a secret gift that most people miss during their rush toward year-end goals and holiday preparations. It offers a natural pause and a moment to breathe deeply before life accelerates into October’s harvest rush, November’s gratitude gatherings and December’s joyful chaos.

This month asks us to notice what we’ve learned and what truly matters as we prepare for the season ahead. It’s nature’s way of saying, “Rest a moment. The beautiful busy-ness is coming, but not yet.” 

September invites us to take evening walks instead of working late, to have unhurried conversations over dinner, to call an old friend just because. The holidays will arrive soon enough with their wonderful whirlwind of activity. But September offers something equally precious, the gift of intentional rest before the celebration begins.

Wishing you the peace of September’s gentle pace.

There’s something touching about watching a child prepare for their first day of school. The careful selection of the perfect outfit, laid out the night before. The new backpack, zipped and unzipped a dozen times to make sure everything fits just right. The quiet rehearsal of walking to the bus stop, just to be certain they know the way.

Most of us remember our own version of this ritual. Maybe it was practicing a locker combination all summer long, terrified of fumbling with it in a crowded hallway. Or memorizing the route between classrooms, worried about being late and having everyone stare. Those seemingly small preparations felt monumentally important because, to a young mind, they were.

What strikes me now is how we adults sometimes forget what it feels like to face something completely unknown. When did we stop remembering that every “first time” requires a special kind of courage? That six-year-old practicing their walk to the bus stop is doing exactly what we all do when facing the uncertain – finding one small thing they can control and mastering it.

The truth is, we never really outgrow those first–day butterflies. Starting a new job, moving to a new town, walking into a room full of strangers – that same flutter of uncertainty is still there. The same need to prepare, to practice, to feel ready for what we can’t possibly predict.

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.