by Catherine Newry
Pascale Newry is easily the most influential person in my life and not just because she’s my mom, but because of the enormous amount of respect that I have for her. My mom has taught me many invaluable life lessons and to this day – two degrees, a professional designation, and a career where I give people advice – my mom is still the one I turn to when I need help making a tough decision. Of the many lessons she has taught me, I think the ones that have truly helped me to shape my life have been about “giving” and “growing”, both of which she continues to teach me by example. Being a wife and a mother of three children, she has always been generous with her time and support. Beyond this, she also makes the time to give to her community by volunteering for organizations such as Black History Ottawa and Jaku Konbit. Her warm smile, organizational skills, dedication and can-do attitude are always welcome wherever she turns her efforts. It was not that long ago that my mom decided to turn her efforts to going back to school to upgrade her skills to move into a new field of work. Despite being at the peak of her career, she determinedly and successfully took on this challenge. This is just a small demonstration of the many ways she has shown me the importance of continually challenging and improving myself not just for my own growth, but to help support those around me as well.
My mother is a pillar of support for me and my family for which I will always be extremely grateful. She loves life and is so full of joy and laughter. We are truly blessed to have her. I think I speak for my brothers when I say that we are so very proud of you and love you very much!!
Happy Mother’s Day Mom!! xoxo