I would like to pay a tribute to my fabulous Grandpa who died yesterday at the age of 98. He passed away peacefully in his retirement home in England, and he had a chance to see all his 4 children beforehand. Even my Mum was able to fly from Toronto to England to be with him.

He grew up in a different world and has seen so much change over his lifetime. As wikipedia states: "The twentieth century was a period of radical departure from almost every previous area of human activity. Accelerating scientific understanding, better communications, faster transportation transformed the world in those hundred years more than any time in the past. It was a century that started with steam powered ships as the most sophisticated means of transport, and ended with the space shuttle. Horses, and other pack animals, Western humanity's basic form of personal transportation for thousands of years were replaced by automobiles within the span of a few decades."

But is the world a better place today than it was 98 years ago? We have polluted our world, possibly beyond recovery and we continue to mass-produce and mass-consume products and packaging at a phenomenal rate.

This year has really been a shift for me in focusing on what is really important: and that is family. If music is the universal language, then family is the universal constant. It doesn't matter where you live or what language you speak, the importance of family is global.

I am sad that Grandpa will not be around for the birth of our child. Actually, a few years ago, Grandpa was commenting that it was strange that he had 11 grandchildren, most of whom were in their 30's, but he did not have a single great-grandchild. Now that is changed and it seems babies are poping up everywhere amoung the cousins.

My sister, Katy, always had a special bond with Grandpa, and I imagine them chatting together wherever they are today.