I have had many privileges in my time, not least of which is the privilege to be a journalist, to watch and record the unfolding of history, and to meet remarkable people of all ages and stations of life.
On Friday evening, I was present as four remarkable women were recognized and awarded as “Women of Distinction”, and I must say, all four highly deserved this honour.
As part of the evening, I had a photo taken with Arliss Sidloski, who was the Young Woman of Distinction this year, and I posted it on my Facebook page and Instagram. The photo was her dad’s idea, as Kevin said as her “honourary godfather” he had never been able to take a photo of us before, and we were both dressed up for the evening.
Among the comments made on the post, Arliss said, “It has been such a privilege to have had you as my honorary godfather over the last several formative years of my life. Thank you for always supporting and cheering me on ...”
I commented in turn that it has been a privilege to watch her over the years become the young woman she is today – it’s totally true.
In planetary terms (which I think Arliss would appreciate, as a “space girl”), I’m not her actual godfather, but an honourary one, sort of like one of Jupiter’s moons.
I’m not right in her orbit (like as a family member) but I’m one of the farther-out moons, where I’ve had the privilege to watch as she won a prestigious scholarship, as she’s been an athlete and coach/volunteer, and as she’s been on the U of S Space Design team on Saskatchewan’s first cube satellite.
And to compound on the coolness, this young woman will be working in Montreal this summer with the Canadian Space Agency. How cool is that?
Truthfully, as a reporter-photographer for the Review, I’ve been able to watch many young men and women as they’ve grown up and gone on to do remarkable things, thus it has been my privilege to see this, not only in Arliss’s life, but so many others in fields of music, art, athletics and in their chosen professions.
As other young people grow and develop in their respective families, I hope to be able to witness many more remarkable stories unfold.
