Meeting the Governor General - Again

This month I got a very exciting opportunity at work. Our volunteer coordinator got a call from the office of the Governor General inviting some staff and our lead volunteers to an volunteer awards ceremony and reception that the Governor General would be hosting in Calgary.

For the Americans that may be reading this who don't understand the significance of the Governor General, I'll give you a brief explanation. While Canada is her own sovereign country and a democracy we still recognize the Queen as our Head of State. The Governor General is appointed by the Queen, on the recommendation of our Prime Minister, as the Queen's representation in Canada. The Governor General is the one who swears in our highest elected officials, opens and closes Parliament sessions and acts as the Commander in Chief of Canada's military among many other duties.

Our current Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, is a graceful and strong woman who originates from a poor immigrant Haitian family. As Commander-In-Chief of the military, she attended the repatriation ceremony for Stephen's brother (click here to see that blog story) and was incredibly down-to-earth and compassionate with Stephen's family. During the repatriation ceremony she stood beside us and even grasped my hand and held it throughout the ceremony. I admire this Governor General as she seems to genuinely care about every one she meets.

My friend Kelly is the volunteer coordinator at work and she knows how much I admire the Governor General, so she invited me to go to the awards with the 2 volunteer coordinators and our lead volunteers. I was very excited at the possible opportunity to meet the Governor General again. I don't get very starstruck by celebrities, and am embarrased to admit how obviously starstruck I am by this woman.

The awards ceremony was quite short and afterwards was the reception where we and our volunteers did get to meet the Governor General. She spent time after the ceremony meeting and taking her time talking with attendees, ignoring her aides who kept telling her she needed to leave. They finally stepped in and insisted she go to get to the next appointment but not before we were able to speak with her and even take pictures with her (we were told it was a unique situation because usually people are not allowed to take pictures with her). When she was speaking to everyone she seemed to want to know not just who they are but what drives them and what they really care about. She puts her full attention on the people she is speaking to, making them feel that she genuinely cares and that they are the most important people in the room.