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PAGE 8 COMMENT JUNE 16, 2008 / LAW TIMES This bencher's mom Wii Step 1 visit www.canadianlawyermag.com/surveys between June 1 and August 8 Step 2 Complete our survey on attitudes toward partnership Step 3 Enter for a chance to win a Wii (Play alone, or with a partner!) Results will appear in the Fall 2008 issue One Nintendo Wii game console available to be won (Approx. retail value: $270). No purchase necessary. Names will be randomly selected on August 11, 2008. Skill-testing question to be correctly answered in order to win. Open to residents of Canada of age of majority, excluding Quebec. CLB Media Inc. may publish at any time or times, in any media, the winner's name and name of winner's employer for promotional purposes without additional consideration. For full contest rules and details visit www.canadianlawyermag.com/surveys. Wii ad.indd 1 have ways of making you talk More in tears than in words is my prayer poured forth this day, before Thee, all-merciful Father, in tears burning and abundant, produced by woe and anxiety. For what is more saddening for the heart of a child than to know that a dear parent is prostrated upon a couch of suffering and sickness? And however much I trust and hope in Thy mercy, yet with trembling and alarm I bow before Thee, to implore of Thee, the life and health of my beloved mother. Listen to my fervent prayer, let not my tears flow in vain before Thee. Have mercy upon my dear mother, quicken the healing of her illness, that she may be restored to full strength and vigor. Let all her good and charitable deeds now intercede for her before your throne of justice and mercy. May this my fervent prayer come before Thee, that the hour of recovery may soon arrive, and tears of joy and gratitude prevail. — a Jewish prayer for an ill mother write today's column sitting at the foot of a hospital isolation room bed. I am wearing a face mask, rubber gloves, and yellow gown. In the early morning hours, when I re- turn home to sleep, I do not know if I will be woken pre- maturely by a dreaded nocturnal phone call, or if my mother will be alive at the break of day. This nightmare for our fam- I DD LT RX3RDF-05 Law ad 6/4/08 11:17 AM Page 1 6/12/08 3:58:23 PM ily, especially my mom, began several weeks ago when she was sent by her nursing home to Sunnybrook Hospital because of chest pains and difficulty in drawing a breath. When her pain subsided and her breath- ing resumed normalcy, she was discharged back to her nursing home. The whole process was repeated a week later. The third time chest pains and difficulty in breathing occurred she was sent to Baycrest Hospital. There, my mother, a nonage- your One source for Law Office Essentials narian, excellent cognitively and frail physically, but mobile with a walker, steadily deteriorated while she languished in bed. When she was on death's door- step, a direct admission to Sun- nybrook was arranged. As I sit with her tonight, I think back over how she has in- fluenced me over the years. My first year at University of D&D Legal Supplies Will/Power of Attorney Wills and Powers of Attorney are important personal documents. To reflect this Dye & Durham has designed a complete line of quality stationery products. WILL/POWER OF ATTORNEY FORMS Packaged in 500. LSW300 – Last Will and Testament forms with vertical grey ruling at left and right sides. LSW320 – Follow Sheets with same grey ruling to go with first page. LSW165 – Will Envelopes, made of the same paper as the Will Backs. Engraved with "Will". LSW345 – Will Backs on Antique Grey Paper. Scored in 3 places for easy folding and engraved with "Will" WILL/POWER OF ATTORNEY ENVELOPES Printed with standard wording on white open-end style envelope. 50 per pkg. Toronto law school was a shock to my system, for my entire life became classes and studying. When Christmas break came, I had had enough. "Cheer up," my mom told me. "Don't be a quitter. The day will come when all your hard work will pay off." When I ran for bencher 13 CUSTOM IMPRINTING Will and Power of Attorney documents can be custom imprinted with your firm name and address. WILL PAPER OR REPORT PAPER Ideal for wills, agreements, reports, briefs or litigation. Available in letter or legal size. 500 per pkg. yourONE source supplier for OFFICE & FURNITURE PRODUCTS Office & Furniture Products • Corporate Promotional Products Printing & Graphic Services • Law Office Essentials Corporate Supplies • Search & Registration Services C years ago, she insisted on defray- ing much of the expense of my shoestring campaign, and since my parents always treated my sister and I the same, she gave an equivalent gift to my sister too. When I was successful in the election, she was delighted. In my early bencher years, I was not warmly embraced by many fellow benchers, but my mom insisted they were lucky to have me. "Lucky?" I said. Bencher's Diary By Gary Lloyd Gottlieb "Many of them hate me." That she steadfastly refused to believe. A few years later I asked her to accompany me to a bencher end- of-term dinner at Osgoode Hall. I thought she would appreciate it more than any casual date I might take. She was thrilled. She admired all the portraits of past treasurers bedecking Benchers Quarters walls. "Why," she wanted to know, "isn't your picture up there?" I explained to her the Osgoode facts of life. "Never mind," she said. "Tell them to get your portrait done and I'll pay for it." Apparently she didn't think much of the $25 portrait I had commissioned by a Yonge Street sidewalk artist and which still graces my apartment. My mom always remembered that bencher party. She was cor- dially welcomed by many of my bencher colleagues and she didn't hear the one who could not for- bear teasing me about being a mama's boy. While not meant as a compliment, I had no regrets about taking my mom that night. In fact, if she had had the oppor- tunity to become a lawyer, she would have made a much better bencher than I. My mom is fear- less. Injustice and unfairness of any sort rankles her, and perse- verance in the face of adversity is her middle name. She would have made a great chairwoman of our equity committee, and if she had been chairwoman of finance she would have ushered in an era of cost-cutting at the law society that is long overdue. Mom, everybody who knows you loves you. This column is for you. LT Gary Lloyd Gottlieb, a Toronto sole practitioner, is a Law Society of Upper Canada bencher. His e-mail address is glgqc@interlog. com. Marketplace COUNSELLING Dr. Valentin Shulman - Helping legal professionals to overcome depression and stress since 1989. Individual sessions, telephone coaching. Call (416) 766-6185. dyedurhambasics.ca • 1-888-393-3874 • Fax: 1-800-263-2772 www.lawtimesnews.com To advertise call 905-841-6481 W e ' r e a C n a n a p d i m a n o a y

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