Tim Horton's A Family Tradition

Tim's was a part of our life before moving from Ottawa to Dieppe in 87. Tim's was an integral part of my commute & after I opened my own cabint shop Tim's became a haven from stress where one could relax have a coffee & just take a break meet clients, contractors etc. for a little business & enjoy a nice hot coffee in a relaxing environment. When travelling Tim's was always a waypoint for coffee & lunch. Life was good, my business prospered, it was time for a benefits. Sadly I discovered back in 85 I had a transfusion/contracted HepB/HIV which put a damper on things. Best Before date suddenly changed to 6 months & Xmas 92 the expiry date. Life & family became extremely important. Wife, 5 kids & very little time to fill in all the things we wanted to do. My wife always wanted to visit Vancouver. I had lived there in the early 70's so it seemed a good way to scratch a couple things off the list - saying goodbye to my mom, siblings/other family. July 1992 starting in Shediac touching the Atlantic off we went to the Pacific. Family joke was that Dad could smell any Tim's at least 20 miles away & with that much chuckled about skill, off we set/hitting just about every Tim's between Dieppe, Ottawa, Timmins & west. Not too many Tim's at that time in the prairies but we did find a few. My twin took us for our first flights in a glider & we slept on the toe of the Columbia Ice Field on the way to Van. Once there we found the nearest Tim's, then to English Bay,dipped our toes in the Pacific. From sea to shining sea. It was a long trip & it pretty much did me in, I had gotten much sicker & the prognosis was not good. My wife kept telling me that I wasn't dying but living with HIV. I guess I subconciously heard, still here almost 20 years later alive & kicking. Tim's played a large part in my post diagnosis life providing a place of refuge, a warm & inviting atmosphere to meet with friends & family, keeping us strong & together as a family unit. We enjoyed the commercial with the guys in the wagon making the same trip. Brought back some very warm, poignant memories of our own trip that ended up not being a good bye trip but more of a hello world ! We still have a lot of miles to travel & a lot of Timmy's to enjoy before my journey is over. Without Tim's yes we would have still had all these good things, but Tim's made it easier, more enjoyable & less stressful allowing us to focus on what is important in life - simply family. Tim's really is a family tradition.