Deb Gerow | President , ARTA

2018 was a very special year for me because it was the year that I realized that I have two families .

We returned to Canada after being away nearly a year living in India . Although the people there were very kind and treated us well , we had really missed our family . It was wonderful to be home again . We revelled in spending time visiting with family members , catching up on everything that had happened here while we were away , and sharing stories of our adventures . From the youngest grandchildren who delighted in the photos we shared of monkeys , geckos , and elephants in the street , to my parents who were just happy that we had come back home safely , it felt so good to be with them . Telephone calls and FaceTime visits had helped but they were just not the same as actually being together .

I was eager to become involved with ARTA again too . I realized that being surrounded by ARTA friends felt much like being amidst my beloved

family members . How wonderful to be part of a group of like-minded people who genuinely care about each other and who are willing to work together to make a difference and to improve the quality of life for fellow seniors .

Since that time , my involvement with the ARTA family has continued . During the past two difficult years of the pandemic , we learned how to carry out our work through better use of technology . Pre-COVID-19 , who would have ever thought that spending hours of time sitting before our computers to meet with people from across the country would be an effective means of accomplishing our goals ? It worked , but like the phone calls from India , there was something missing .

This year , ARTA has been able to cautiously resume in-person meetings . The feeling of being together at these meetings has been much like being at a family reunion . I don ’ t think we realized how much we had missed each other and how much we would enjoy being together again .

I am so fortunate to belong to two amazing families : my own , and my ARTA family . I know that I can rely upon both these families to support me in good times and bad .

I am grateful that you , the members of my ARTA family , have given me the privilege of serving as your president , and I thank you all for this opportunity . I look forward to meeting many more of you during the coming year .

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