Mother's Day

Thanks for being here and taking a sip from the Fountain

This week we are celebrating our Moms. Our mum’s if we were in the UK and our Ma if we were from Florida.

Wherever you are, call your mom or send her a message into the sky this weekend.

If you're a husband with kids like me, you also have Mother’s Day to the power of 2 - so I am also going to sneak some love in for Ria - who our family is blessed to have as the Queen lion. 

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FOUNDER STORY

I give thanks for my Mom - Esther has come a long way from Pickle Crow, Ontario, raised in poverty with 9 brothers and sisters in a little town of Selkirk, Manitoba.

Her mom died when she was 9, and she left home when she was 17. Self-made and hard working she came to Kelowna in 1969 and never went back to the prairies.

She tells me stories about the lake, how the water was so clear, and how when her friend tried to get her to go back, she refused, got a job as a dental assistant and made her own path. 

Gratitude for my mom teaching me to give thanks, and for taking me to church and praying with me when I was a kid.

It always made me feel safe, to believe in myself, and to ask for my dreams. I felt like we were talking to a higher power that was listening and was secretly behind me, it was always my mom. 

She gave me belief to think I could make the majors, or invent a men’s underwear company, apply for a federal licence no one is supposed to get, and to strike out swinging hard.

I would never get told how bad I played on the ride home, it was support, bandaging my cuts, and pushing me to compete and be a great teammate and leader. 

Values of hard work and dedication with a gift of communication.

My mom was an Entrepreneur: Prestige Cleaning, Prestige Gifts, and alongside my Dad with their businesses throughout their journey around the world.

My sister and I would run the shop vac down vents, and sweep up the new floors, chip drywall chunks off the mirrors, and help her and her crew clean.

She priced the jobs by the sq.ft and would do a bunch of houses in the evenings and weekends for big developers. She was a hard worker and I was front row quietly watching her deal with marketing, staff, and doing a great detailed job.

My mom is, and always has been, a great entrepreneur, but she gave me another priceless gift. 

I would be holding her hand as a little kid walking around the mall and she would stop and talk with so many people, genuinely listening to each one, catching up, making plans, and offering to volunteer at various things.

My mom has always been able to speak to and connect with all walks of life, all races, and corners of high and low society.

She is an open heart and she gives more to the world than she takes, she has done so much more good than bad, and she has done so much more that no one sees, I am sure.

She has many gifts and I am blessed she has shared a few with me. 

My mom is an angel and now she is a Grandma sharing her gifts with her next generation. 

I wish you all great mothers, great Mother’s Days, and air hugs to the mothers who are no longer with us.

Here's to the mothers around The Fountain.

My mom, Susan, has an incredible story.

By 19 she had two kids, by 22 she was a single mom. The split was amicable but she bore the bulk of the responsibility - and her mom (my Grandma) was there to help as well. 

By the time I, the younger of the two, was five years old, Susan had earned her GED and Legal Secretary certificate. Today she still works at the same law firm where she started in 1987.

While Susan wasn't the typical, doting mother, she set an amazing example of a strong woman and taught me so much in how she lived and continues to lead her life. Here are some the of the learnings I'm still drawing on today:

I could go on, and on. I'm so lucky I got her as my mom. Nobody doesn't like Susan, and yet she makes zero effort to impress. She is just a genuinely great person who, due to early parenthood, now gets to enjoy tons of travel and her grandkids! Things have a way of working out, that's another thing she's taught me :)

Shout out to Susan and all the hard working moms out there - we know you are doing your best! 

Ria xo

I know this isn’t mother related, but a pivotal moment we thought we should discuss.

Buffett - 60 years - that was buffets 60’s AGM with Berkshire. Dropping the news he is recommending the board agree with his recommendation for Greg Abel to become the CEO. First - thank you Warren for your values, leadership, and sharing those with all.

No one has done it better and no one has done it for so long. What an incredible track record and example as a person outside the board room as well.

BRK.A, BRK.B traded 770,087.90, 514.55 respectively on Monday and if it trades down I am buying more.

This is a better and more measured outcome than the article earlier estimating the drop upon his ultimate passing. I respect him even more with this move and the way he did it.

He only had told his children of his intentions and he shared his plan with everyone including the other 9 members of the board and the future CEO at the Berkshire AGM on Saturday. His integrity shines at all opportunities and also his praise for Tim Cook and others over himself throughout the meeting was a tip of the cap - stay classy. 

No one will live forever and being the CEO of a company, 1.16 Trillion Market Cap, is incredible at any age. His mental acuity and deal making skills are legendary and being a shareholder since 2018 has been a great investment for my family.

I will miss his letters, his open mic AGM jewels, his honesty, and his jokes. I watched the AGM on Saturday and thank Warren for sharing a treasure with all of us to learn and drink from.

Now the reigns will be given to the Oracle of Edmonton, and I will continue to be a buyer with Diamond Hands on the shares I own already.