Amidst a year marked by global challenges and complex headlines, la Presse columnist asked readers to share their brightest moments of 2025. The response was overwhelming, with hundreds of personal stories flooding in following a request for concise reflections on happiness. What unfolded was a poignant reminder that even in the face of widespread adversity, individual joy and human connection endure-and these are the stories we’ll be exploring in the days ahead.
“They are incredible.”
Publié à
That’s what I kept saying over the past few days while sorting through your messages – hundreds of them sent since December 21st.
On that day, at the end of my column, I invited you to send me your happiest moment of 2025. I made the request briefly, asking you to keep it concise, vibrant, and beautiful.
I expected a few dozen responses.
I received hundreds.
My wife and I began sorting through them, a truly massive undertaking. I’d send her the messages, and she’d compile them into a Google Drive… The initial sort alone was 54 pages!
The final moments with an aging father, the first look at a newborn held by their partner, a father-son bike race in Charlevoix, words from children, the ashes of a beloved aunt scattered in a cave in Spain, a winning goal scored by a dek hockey player in their final game, children finally launching into adulthood, the purchase of a first home…
You made me think, you made me laugh, and you made me cry.
And you reinforced my belief: happiness is about others. It’s about the connections we create.
You are incredible, truly incredible, for responding so generously to an end-of-year call to action. For sharing with me slices of life that are both intimate and universal, moments I’ll be sharing in La Presse in the coming days. This outpouring of personal stories speaks to the power of connection in a world often dominated by headlines.
I feel lucky, and I often say so. Through my work here and on the radio, you write to me, often reacting to the news. But sometimes, without prompting, you share scenes from your life, your reflections on life, life itself, simply.
And now, as 2025 draws to a close, hundreds of you have given me the gift of those flashes from the year – your greatest moments of happiness from a year that’s been, well, a lot.
Of course, there are the major events, the news with a capital “N,” the tragedies, the climate change crisis, Trump, Gaza, Putin, inflation, the political game – I cover all of that, we cover all of that because it’s our job, it’s what the media does…
But in the shadow of the headlines, life goes on. Life continues its course, stubborn, difficult, but beautiful.
In the coming days, that’s what I’ll be sharing with you: life, your life, the life that doesn’t make the front page, because beauty rarely does. Happy end of the year 2025, and thank you for being here.
