About 90% of the joy in my life (and I like to consider myself a joyful person) comes directly from my son, Travis Mathew Alvin Avinga Evaluarjuk Kines. 
Travis is coming on to three years old, he was born in Iqaluit in July 2002, and flew up to Arctic Bay two days later. We adopted Travis through a cultural adoption. Adoption is very common amongst Inuit, and you’d be hard pressed to find a family here that hasn’t either adopted in, or adopted out a child.
His arrival opened up new worlds for me. If you’ve never held a newborn in your hands, and not marvelled at the miracle that created a perfect little person, then you’ve never truly lived. I was not prepared for the self-doubt and worry about the future that arrived along with the rest of the responsibilities for being a father. I spent an inordinate amount of time worried about what sort of world I had brought him into, and whether I was up to the task of preparing him for it. But now that he is this great ball of energy, I worry less about it.
Travis, of course, is bilingual and switches effortlessly between english and inuktitut. I’m finding that I am learning more inuktitut as his language skills grow, if only for self defence. Like his mom, when he is upset with me it usually comes out in inuktitut, although perhaps not knowing what is being said then is a good thing.
He loves going over to the House. “Dad, let’s go our house?” and is there almost everyday. These days he usually goes straight to someone’s hammer and begins bashing at walls. This will have to end when the drywall starts going up.
Yesterday he picked up a little piece of wood, held it flush to a stud until he could reposition the hammer in his hand and then started tapping gently on it, as though he was driving a finishing nail. Where and how he picked up on that escapes me, as usually work gets suspended when he is there. He just might end up a carpenter, which wouldn’t be a bad thing as it is a noble profession in my eyes. Whatever he chooses to do when he grows up, I only hope it is something he loves. Loving what you do makes all the difference in this world.