22,000 NAMES
  
A new memorial in Victoria listing 22,000 names has been erected to remember the Japanese Canadians interned during the war.
Additionally, the Hastings Park Japanese Memorial is a new public tribute in Vancouver honouring the more than 8,000 Japanese Canadians detained at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) grounds in Hastings Park during the Second World War.
The names include my mother (Sumiko), her older sister (Kikuye), and my grandparents (Suye & Yosojiro Ono).
After the war, they were exiled to Japan on August 2, 1946 because they were banned from returning to the west coast until after April 1, 1949.
This ban was to ensure the property that was seized by the Canadian government during this internment would not be returned to its rightful owners.
Our schools do not teach this piece of Canadian history; I discovered it in my 30s.
Despite the hardships endured, I am grateful for my grandparents who granted me this beautiful life in Canada.
DIG YOUR WELL BEFORE YOU'RE THIRSTY
It’s never too late to start building and maintaining relationships; start now before that crisis or need.
It begins with helping others before asking for help.
Be proactive; make introductions; share information - without expecting immediate returns.
This is what my high school peer Mark Rogers has been doing for the past 40 years.
He recently took a severe fall while helping a neighbor and suffered a punctured lung, broken clavicle with internal injuries to liver, kidney, and spine.
Now his community is rallying to his aid and has already raised over $12,000 in financial aid to support him during his recovery.
He didn’t ask for this help; his network wants to help - including friends that he hasn’t talked to in 40 years.
This is the Golden Rule in action: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12).
WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER
Looking back over the last 25 years, it's surreal at how much adversity there was to overcome for success to happen.
Quoting Josh Howerton: "When God wanted to make David a king, He didn't give him a crown; He gave him a Goliath" (personal communication, May 25, 2026).
A lot of times when you feel like God is breaking you, He's actually building you.
It doesn't feel good at the time, but reflecting back (with a weird type of fondness), you can identify certain experiences as the watershed moment that takes you to the next level.
Be grateful when you encounter chaos on your way to success - you learn strength; or storms where you learn to grow; or pressure that teaches peace.
Stop asking why it’s hard: It has to be because weak foundations crack under blessings.
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