The icing on the cake...

Originally published on the DaninOttawa.com site on July 1, 2011.

This has been an incredibly busy week of constituency work within the riding. As an elected official there are a great many meetings, community events, emails and return phone calls that matter a great deal to the people you represent.

Getting to those calls and emails and preparing for those meetings is very important and gratifying work for me. But when the opportunity to get out and about arises, such as attending the 100th birthday bash for Elsie Oates in Summerland, I am there in a flash.

I was happy to bring congratulations from the Government of Canada (that got me in the door), but the truly fun part was sitting with Elsie, chatting and eating cake with her as a choir sang many of her favorite songs. Surrounded by fifty or so friends who clearly care deeply for her, we celebrated her health (she still golf's regularly see this CTV video here), toasted her humour and many recalled fond memories. Making it to 100 years is certainly an achievement to aspire to, but in Elsie's case is just the icing on the cake. Happy Birthday Elsie!