Women From Canada

"The name doesn't do justice to the pain and life-changing symptoms the syndrome causes, said Tara Zier, founder of the Stiff Person Syndrome Research Foundation."

"He reached his peak as an artist, but above all, he wanted to be a family man. And his greatest passion now is being with his daughters, with his wife. I respect that choice immensely, but I'm not there yet."

"I haven't fought the illness; it's still within me and will be forever. Hopefully, we'll find a miracle, a way to heal through scientific research, but I have to learn to live with it, I work on everything, from my toes to my knees, calves, fingers, singing, voice... It's the condition I have to learn to live with now, by stopping questioning myself."

"Today, I can't tell you: 'Yes, in four months.' I don't know... My body will tell me. However, I don't just want to wait. [...] But there is one thing that will never stop, and that's the desire. It's the passion. It's the dream. It's the determination."

"I kind of feel that it's more about music itself. Not that we didn't do that before. It's putting more emphasis on big orchestra, music, musicians, singers, songs. We want to do music at the purest as possible, like the old days I guess. So if it's a concept ."

"Well, it's very different, that's for sure. The energy is very different. I have to say that when you tour the world, obviously, the jetlags and different hours and ways of living and traveling, a lot of hours in the plane, and you wake up in the morning and you're not quite sure where you are, and it is very tiring. It takes longer to get to a place. But it was so well put together, so well done, and it gives you a chance as well to see the world. I was so proud to have my mom and my son to see the world and do safaris and visit museums and -- I mean, see different livings, and it was just a big thrill and a great, great chance for all of us. It made all of us I think grow very well. But as well, to be stable in one place, it's also another great opportunity when you can leave your family home, knowing that when your kids are small they can have stability. So think R.C., my child, was very -- was old enough to see the world, but right now for my little two new kids on the block, should I say, it would be -- it's perfect right now. So I can't pick -- I can't pick one thing that's better than another. It's just two different energies. It's like an up tempo song and a ballad, for example."

"What a legend. What a man. And it's so unfortunate what happened. And it's amazing because 30 years ago, like you said, he was killed, and it's amazing because today Rene and I were talking together about him, and I was 12 years old when he was -- when he was killed. But fortunately, through his amazing music and through my family, my brothers and sisters and my husband, I have learned his music and his words, and so I kind of grew a little later with him. But he's part of my life, and we were talking a lot about him today, and it's just like -- I remember that 40 -- 40 years ago he wrote an amazing, amazing song called "Imagine." And we've been singing that song today in the house, and it's just so unfortunate, you know."

"I'm very excited. It's wonderful to be wanted and to be loved again. It is wonderful to go back home again. If I may say this way. So -- and it's always exciting. We know we've had a lot of meetings and get-together a few months back with all the wonderful people involved in the new show. And Ken Erlich will be the director of the show who's been doing the Grammys, you know, for more than 30 years. And actually, it's just wonderful to get ideas again. Every time you think, I'm going to run out of ideas at one point but no, everybody gets together, and we have ideas and we're going to be with 31 musicians on stage and, for me, I mean, there's much more than that, but just this itself. Thirty-one musicians for a singer, it's a dream come true. I mean, you might have that once in a while in a recording studio. But every night on stage with you? It's going to be hard for me to spend my time like not looking back too many times. You know to have my back against the people and go back and notice the crowd and the same time as all those wonderful orchestra. So I'm looking forward to go back and perform again. I'm thrilled. And there's going to be a lot of surprises and effects and I'm very, very happy."

"I'm not going on the ski slope again for -- that's it. I've had five years of that. It was magnificent. But it's been very, very difficult for the spine, for the neck, for the body, for the voice itself actually. So no, actually, when I ended Las Vegas with "A New Day," they had put it back straight. So they kept it straight. And we made sure they did. And I'm looking forward to perform on a flat and smooth surface. I'm looking forward to experience that."

"It's quite funny and interesting at the same time because a lot -- everybody's asking us that question obviously. But people think probably that he's like, oh, my goodness, your brothers, can I hold them, can I hold them? I don't think it's there yet. I think R.C.'s looking at them and it's like, mom, the only thing they do is, like, these type of things. They look up. They look down. They cry and all that. So he's trying to make faces to make them laugh. And they kind of look. And I say to R.C., they're just starting to see. Colors is just coming now. And he's like, I think he's looking forward to play with them. So they're not talking about baseball yet. But very soon it will happen. So R.C.'s very interested, obviously, in them. But he's looking for them, this is Nelson, this is Eddie. Mom, are they OK? He's trying to make them laugh. But right now I think he's looking forward and he can't wait for them to throw the ball."

"At the beginning I would ask myself: why me? How did this happen? What have I done? Is this my fault? Life doesn’t give you any answers. You just have to live it! I have this illness for some unknown reason. The way I see it, I have two choices. Either I train like an athlete and work super hard, or I switch off and it’s over, I stay at home, listen to my songs, stand in front of my mirror and sing to myself. I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team. I want to be the best I can be. My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again! … I have this strength within me. I know that nothing is going to stop me."

"We tried many, many times. And that was the sixth try. And then I have to say that many times that I asked myself when am I going to end? When am I going to stop? What's going to tell me that I need to put an end to that? Because when you try three times and four times, it's like, am I going to go forward, we questioned ourselves many times. But I guess it's nature itself. Until -- we are women and we can be pregnant and we can have babies, then you keep -- you still want to keep going. And then one day this is the beginning of something else or an end for something. And then this is your answer for you to stop. So -- but I'm not there yet I guess. So we were blessed."

"I'll leave it to Rene. First of all, as people know, I'm an open book. I have shared my whole life. My private and my show business life. It helps me actually to feel my songs and to go on with my dreams. But how much to share? I think I leave it to Rene. I trust him. I love him. He's been my leader in my career, as well as the leader of my heart, and it's trust. And we share an amazing relationship together. For that part, I leave it up to him."

"there was three babies, that's right, yes. And nature took its course. And one little baby just decided to step back to give the two others a chance to survive very well. And you never want to have -- to have -- wanting to make a choice -- to make a decision if something goes wrong, for example, with a pregnancy, you never want to be put, like, forward and have to take a decision and put an end to something. So if there was -- the doctor said to me, if there was something wrong, you know sometimes when something wrong with a baby the baby decides by itself and nature takes its course and it puts an end to it. So we don't know what happened. We're not trying to find out. One little baby decided to step back. But you just have to look forward. And -- but you still miss -- I still think about the one that stepped back and just -- is not here today. You always think of that. I'm sure every woman who has that experience still has a feeling about the little one that's not -- that's not there."

"That's right, Larry. I did because -- we did actually. When we knew that we were going on this last tour, go to South Africa, started the tour there almost two years ago now already, I knew that we were going to South Africa and we hoped to meet with Mr. Mandela. And we did. And I wanted to take a little course of history, of course, before we left because I wanted to know about the apartheid and I wanted to know how great of a hero he was. And I wanted to know what he did better. And so I met with a teacher and I learned about -- much more. And so when I met with Mr. Mandela, my mom was there, Rene was there, Rene's son Patrick was there. Our son Rene-Charles was there. And it was such an impact to meet with him. What a hero. What a difference he made. And we decided to name one of our sons after Nelson Mandela. And for Eddie, that was another hero of our lives as well. Eddie Marnay was a French lyricist who wrote five of my French albums and he also wrote for Edith Piaf and Barbra Streisand and many, many wonderful singers. And -- so two heroes in our lives. And we wanted our boys to grow and say, you know, we're named after wonderful people."

"Actually, they're not identical at all. When they were born, they were actually separate. But in their two little homes. But I couldn't -- I couldn't see the difference. I was like, oh, my gosh, and we don't even have names. I'm going to say baby A, baby B for how long? I was like confused. Who's baby A? But this is where -- we mixed the hats. Oh, my god, baby A is not baby B. And B is A. I was like -- we were all confused. And after coming home, Rene says, I know how important choosing names. It's such a responsibility to choose names. We have to have names. I said, I know, I know. So after about a week or so, we couldn't take it anymore. So we sat down. And we said, OK, it's going to be our two heroes here, Nelson and Eddie. So Rene-Charles, Nelson and Eddie. We're suiting our family. We're very proud. And here we are."

"Don't be so familiar and so much into the details. Keep people dreaming. Close the window, and make them wonder."

"I work hard. But a lot of people work hard and they don't have anything. I was very fortunate."

"It's always good to know both how to deal with being alone, and how to behave while in company."

"It's the moment you think you can't, that you can."

"[she has] stiff person syndrome"

"“If you follow your dreams, it means you follow your heart. If you do follow your heart, I don’t think you can go wrong.”"

"It's pretty amazing how we can survive with no sleep. Actually, my little boy right now, Rene-Charles, has a little -- he's a little sick, he's got a little fever and he's got some stuff going on, so I want to be there and I want to take care of him and at the same time we're breastfeeding the babies every 2 1/2 hours. And no, let me -- let me rephrase that, we are not breastfeeding the baby. I am breastfeeding the babies. So it's like there's not a lot of sleep. Every 2 1/2 hours. And then we're not counting the rest. I mean, sometimes I have 25 minutes left. Do I shower, do I eat or do I sleep? It's up to me. It's still up to me for that part. But it's a great challenge. It's very, very tiring. It's full of surprises. But it's all with love. And it's all amazing. All day, I'm in my pajamas. Sometimes I forget to really close it well. So it's -- it's overwhelming. In a good way. In a good way. But there's no sleep yet."

"We had tried time after -- we've tried five times before this last try that worked out. And I guess when you try and you believe and you just -- we just kept trying. And we were blessed twice. And it's just amazing to have my 9 1/2-year-old beautiful boy and now we waited so long to have -- and hoped for another child and we were blessed -- double blessed. And it's just extraordinary to be parents again and it's such a blessing. And they're doing -- Nelson and Eddie are doing really well. And they're 6 weeks old. And I still look at them and I still can't believe it. I can't believe it."

"For now, I have to learn to live with it … Five days a week I undergo athletic, physical and vocal therapy. I work on my toes, my knees, my calves, my fingers, my singing, my voice."

"For four years I’ve been saying to myself that I’m not going back, that I’m ready, that I’m not ready ... As things stand, I can’t stand here and say to you: ‘Yes, in four months.’ I don’t know ... My body will tell me. I’m working very hard and tomorrow will be even harder. Tomorrow is another day. But there’s one thing that will never stop, and that’s the will."

"It was bittersweet"

"And the lesson that I thought I learned, and that we both learned from that experience, that when you moved beyond the person's colour and you get to know them as a person, that you find that we're very, very similar in likes, dislikes, our wants and our experiences in life."

"The highlight of my career was the day when I got this job full time."

"You lose a lot of friends, I look upon this as a life cycle."

"Landscape architects are a combination of artists, designers, choreographers and scientists; they must also be leaders, especially in dealing with the effects of climate change."

"I work with a concept driven by the idea that people want to be surrounded by nature—it is in our genes."

"We have, as I have pointed out again and again, a great gift of nature in our landscape."

"The freedom to create, the freedom to think differently, was unlimited."

"Like most Canadians, I am indifferent to the visit of the Queen."

"Whether or not Gretta Vosper is a minister is a decision that is made by a regional body called a conference, and Gretta Vosper is not in London Conference, which is the conference I serve"

"You are stealing the tradition of a noble religion and using it when you are preaching the exact opposite of what they believe"

"A minister who is not suitable, cannot be effective. To assess suitability, the review committee may ask the minister to answer the ordination questions again, starting with: Do you believe in God?"

"Gretta has called herself 'an atheist minister'. While that language is startling to some, the Christian academy knows exactly what she is saying. To refer to oneself as an 'atheist' does not mean that one is asserting that there is no God; it means that the 'theistic' definition of God is no longer operative or believable."

"The United Church is the only denomination in the world that could declare the Bible is not the authoritative word of God for all time. And that needs to be said by a major recognized denomination in order to undermine every single statement that is made by any religious extremist group — that their document, whether it’s the Bible, the Qur’an or the Bhagavad Gita, is not a divinely authored piece from some supernatural source."

"What people kept saying is how can a minister who says she doesn’t believe in God be a minister in the Christian church?"

"We were looking for someone deemed to be progressive-thinking. [West Hill as a congregation that wanted to] explore new roads in its spiritual journey."

"Anecdotally my sense is there are a lot of ministers who maybe wouldn’t say it as forcefully as Gretta would, but at the end of the day they don’t really believe in anything resembling traditional Christianity."

"Forgiveness made me free from hatred. I still have many scars on my body and severe pain most days but my heart is cleansed. Napalm is very powerful, but faith, forgiveness, and love are much more powerful. We would not have war at all if everyone could learn how to live with true love, hope, and forgiveness. If that little girl in the picture can do it, ask yourself: Can you?"

"When I was growing up, the pain was so sharp, it was like I’d been cut by a knife. As I get older, the pain is different, it is deep in there and stays there."

"Every time I touch my scar I am so thankful. My scar reminds me that God is with me. It is the mark that God stamped on my body to remind me he is there. I touch my scar and I love it – it humbles me, it makes me love people and do the work I am doing now. It takes me back to being that little girl, but now I have no upset or anger about it, I just go to the Lord and pray. And the more I pray, the more peace I have over my suffering. My scar makes me have more intimacy in my relationship with God. It’s the strength inside of me. My scar is a miracle."

"The more I prayed for my enemies, the softer my heart became. When I felt real forgiveness, my heart was set free. If I can do it, all of you can do it too."

"I came through the fire, and I am so blessed to be with you today. My dream is that one day, all people will live without fear, in real peace, with no fighting and no hostility."

"The fire burned off my clothes. And I saw my arm got burned with the fire. I thought, oh, my goodness, I get burned. People will see me different way. Nine years old, I became the victim of war. I didn’t like that picture at all. I felt like, why he took my picture, when I was agony, naked, so ugly? I wished that picture wasn’t taken. I went through 17 operations. I had to deal with the pain every single day. I used to compare my scars with buffalo skin. And because my skin wasn’t have any pores, I cannot sweat, make me feel so tired, so headache."

"Try not to see her as she was then – suffering, crying out in pain and fear. Try to see her as she is today: as a mother, a grandmother and a survivor, calling out for peace."