Skip to main content

My Journey to Aurora



He was a great friend of mine, he was a great Basketball player, above all he was a great man. His name is Elie Ndayishimiye and he just passed away.

Almost a thousand of us where in Aurora Ontario this week-end to pay him tribute and say a final goodbye to Elie. It was such an emotional day as family and friends were giving their testimonials about how Elie had impacted their lives. That is how he was. He impacted lives wherever he went.

I first saw him in the late eighties when he was a Basketball star back in Burundi, then played against him years later. Finally I played with him in our Basketball team here in Toronto. He was such a good player that, when the game was on the line, we knew that giving the ball to him was our only hope. And he delivered all the time.

Being in Aurora last Saturday, seeing all these people gathered to support his family made me realize once again how precious life is. I sometimes take it for granted, and mostly I sometimes take for granted people around me thinking that they will be here forever. Elie's sudden death was a wake up call for me. Above all, the amount of people that came to the funeral was the exact reflection of his life. He had impacted a huge number of people.

Basketball players gathered at the funeral made sure that he won't be forgotten. Starting from next year, there will be a tournament named after his name. His legacy will live on.

Talking about legacy. I sometimes think about what legacy I will leave after I am gone. At first I thought I had to do big things for me to be remembered. Elie changed my mind. Apart from being a great Basketball player, do you know why Elie was so loved by many people? Because he was so kind. He made you feel special whenever he was talking to you.

Last year when I was in Burundi, I met his mother-in-law. She wanted to give me a package that I could bring to his daughter (Elie's wife). I told her that I would go back to Toronto in October, but my brother was leaving earlier. He could bring the package (which he did).

When it was time for Elie and his wife to pick up the package at my brother's, Elie brought him a bottle of wine to thank him. When my brother told me the story, I said to him: “That is the Elie I know”. He made every moment special. He will certainly be missed.

I found my way to leave a legacy: Just be kind to people and make them feel special. Because they are. Thanks so much Elie


Always a pleasure

Patrick
The Journeyman
patrick@goalachieverscanada.com
www.goalachieverscanada.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Journey to Orillia

We drove a little bit late at night. I had been to this place called Orillia before, but it was about ten years ago. I didn’t remember much about it, other than it was beautiful. Here we were on the road, and there was not much we could see, except a signal on the highway that said “beware of cattle”. We thought it was funny.   By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was almost midnight. I went straight to bed. We had to wake up early in the morning as breakfast was scheduled to be served a six O’clock. There was no way I was going to miss out.‎ You may be wondering what was happening in Orillia. I am glad you asked. A number of months ago, Paul, my business partner, got this brilliant idea, and once he shared it with me I was totally on board. He realized that for us to do what we wanted to do, we must work with partners. These may be service providers, or simply other business owners with goals similar to ours. Paul decided to go out and attend different netwo...
1 comment
Read more

My Journey to my wedding

Where do I start? I don't really know. As I am waiting for my flight at Kigali airport, with tears in my eyes, I am thinking about the last few days. There are no words that can explain what I have experienced in this month of December 2010. As Phil Collins said, it's another day in paradise. The person who said that words are powerful was so right. It took a few words from my then girlfriend, now wife (are you kidding me!!!!), to start a series of events that led me to this moment. She just said: “Honey, this long distance thing is killing me”. Having been in a couple of long distance relationships, I knew what she meant. This time, it was different. I had to do something, otherwise, this relationship would end up like the other ones. I had promised myself to do whatever it took to make this one work. As I hung up the phone, I thought I had to move mountains. I had to find a way to meet her. Originally, my intention was to visit her in July 2011, however, this felt like a cent...
5 comments
Read more

My Journey with a Bestseller

Two weeks away from writing (among other things) are now enough. I am back to you… I am getting into the podcast listening world and I am really mad at myself. How in the world was I late to the party? There are powerful podcasts out there, and on various subjects. It is like an all-you- can- eat buffet (you know my well-established relationship with food).  Just last week, I was into productivity podcasts and what I learned was so valuable that I now feel I want to turn my life upside down and start everything from scratch (maybe it would be unproductive but it is worth the try). Anyways… I am here to talk about something different. I can now brag and say that I have a bestseller friend. You don’t believe me? Here is the proof: Bonjour Patrick, J'ai écrit le livre "Introverts: Leverage Your Strengths for an Effective Job Search". Il est devenu #1 sur Amazon pendant le premiers 10 heures et a reçu le statut de Bestseller le 1er Juillet That is a...
1 comment
Read more