On a warm Friday night in the 80s, my sisters and I arrived at the Pointe au Baril marina to be met by Dad and whisked off to our island home. An idyllic picture, yet, it was about 10 pm when our meeting time was supposed to be 8 pm. Dad had sat in the boat swatting mosquitoes for two hours.

We had been stuck in horrendous traffic in what was meant to be a three-hour drive from the city. It was pre mobile phones – we had no phone on the island and there was no way to get a message to Dad. I’ll never forget his generosity that night – he simply shrugged off his two-hour wait and got on with hello hugs and loading our bags into the boat.

That memory will be etched in my brain forever. Dad’s generosity has influenced me to be unconditionally here for my kids: “You want a lift? Sure!”

I could tell my kids that Grandpa Horler was a calm, giving, brilliant man, but it’s passing down snippets like these and then mirroring him in my actions that pays tribute. Stories inspire greatness.