Pierre Elliot Trudeau, a former and now passed Canadian Prime Minister, was a charismatic and strong man. The women loved him because of his directness and charm. He was not afraid. He said what he thought and did what he thought was right. Everyone—though not all agreed with him—respected him, respected the integrity which seeped from his pores. It was obvious that this was an honest man who held his head high.

I watched him over the years, was fascinated by his life choices and by his fearlessness. His wife left him and he remained at home with his two sons, raising them, I found out during his eulogy, to "live a clean life." When his son said these words publicly, they resonated with me. In fact, I was so impressed that I kept repeating the phrase to my own son . "Live a clean life," I said over an over so that it was engraved in his mind.

"What does that mean?" he asked one day.

"It means to live honestly and cleanly: no drugs, no alcohol, no lying,

no stealing—a clean life, a good life.

"Never stray from the path," I continued, grasping for a new metaphor so that he could understand. "We are honest people, we want to live honestly and cleanly." I may have driven my son crazy with all this cleanliness, perhaps that is why he is messy, but I think the inherent message hit home.

My daughter, when she comes into the age where she can understand these concepts, will get her share of clean-life lessons: "Never stray from the path...live a clean life." Those simple words are so direct and cutting in their honesty that they are like a mantra to repeat over and over. Living a clean life is rewarding, it is peaceful. It brings with it a euphoria and calm and a sense of safety.

So, above all lessons in life, this one is it—together with love thy neighbour as thyself and God.