What you are about to watch is a fake movie trailer.
Yes, fake news – but not really.
The actors are very real. Chris had lacrosse buds, family, family friends and then a tight knit group of school and Langley friends. These guys were so awesome to our family in the months and years after Chris passed and I still remember this day from 9 years ago. A bunch of teen aged guys willing to spend their afternoon on a walk (we called it a hike!) with a couple of parents.
As a Dad, Chris’ memory and thoughts of him are part of every single day. I know for many of his friends, teammates and coaches, they feel the same. He was a great kid, an amazing human. The sentiment from that hike and many other interactions with these young people have stayed with us all these years later and still bring feelings of warmth, love and support that we hope are echoed back to others as they go through their own various journeys through life.
All the best as you Be The Best this week.
Without further ado, I present the fake movie trailer from 2011 that never made it to the theaters (US spelling on US soil in Detroit…).
Let’s stop and think about Spring. Yah, Spring Brake. And yes, I’m going to take every opportunity for every pun and Dad joke I can come up with. 😉
Ok – I drafted this post last weekend and it feels like the world has changed. COVID-19, Coronavirus, country shutdowns, social distancing, self quarantine are all words now firmly embedded into our daily lexicon.
Talk about Spring Brake! Ok, world pandemics aside, Spring will indeed come and I wish everyone a safe passage through the coming weeks and months as we navigate this extremely unique time in world history.
A true Michigan March. Trees about ready to explode.
Normally in March you get that feeling of renewal. Made it through another winter! The birds chirping and trees budding provide a feel of freshness, newness and belief in warmer days ahead.
Cheating a bit..this is June 2019 in Michigan. Beautiful landscapes.
That said, March can be a month where you have harsh weather one minute and sunny skies the next. Looking back at this blog post nine years ago (link below), the feelings come back pretty quick. We were just under one year from Chris’ passing and we were up at Silver Star which is near Vernon, BC about 5 hours from Vancouver through the mountains. A beautiful part of the BC paradise! By the way, for people wondering – why are you explaining where Vernon is – everyone knows that. It’s been amazing to see how much blog traffic comes from the US and countries around the world. Simply put, if people are reading this blog they either knew Chris or our family OR have had a loss in their circle. Either way, you are all welcome and we wish you safe travels on your journey whichever stage you might be at!
Anyhoo – back to the story. My Dad had taken ill from a virus contracted in the hospital of all places post surgery and my sister was also in the hospital in Vernon. We were up for a visit and spent a day on the slopes as we felt we were skiing and boarding for Chris and my Dad (who skied actively into his 80’s). By the way, Reverend Jake, (that’s what I call my Dad!) recovered nicely and is still going strong at 89 years young. More on that later!
Have a look back at this post and a little BC snow experience as the weather moves from winter to spring.
If you ever have a chance to get up there btw, go for it. It’s less crowded than Whistler and you can’t beat it for families. And no, this isn’t a paid endorsement for Silver Star. Just some BC insider experience and Dad knowledge. Be safe. Have fun. And yes, that is what I said to the boys every time they left the house.
A magical little village with houses in the snow. Ski right to your door.
I’ve had several conversations about clouds in the past months.
Some with others, some with myself.
I can’t look at the sky without thinking about Chris and I can’t look at clouds without thinking of silver linings on the most darkest of skies.
We all have our journeys…and many times life does not go in a straight line.
For those experiencing loss of any kind, my encouragement is to look up at the sky. It may seem dark, but if you look closely, you may also see a silver lining.
Plus, I needed to work these pictures into a blog post of a near sunset sky earlier this year in BC’s amazing Interior…!
This request really makes no sense except if you were in a bar and ordering a drink.
A mudslide is made with irish cream, and a few other adult beverage components.
Outside of the beverage department, you would never order a real mudslide.
Take a look at this photo. I wouldn’t even show this to you, except that this story has already been widely publicized and shown dozens of times on TV.
Mudslide carnage near Oliver, British Columbia (July 2010)
Take a look at where the mud levels got up to. Thankfully no one died in this slide. Many times that is not the case.
Some slides have very defined causes, some do not and some remain undetermined.
One thing is for certain. To the people whose homes and property and lives were altered, they were not expecting a mudslide that day.
The simple point is, we don’t know what is going to happen.
We can’t live like a mudslide is eminent every minute of the day, but when a mudslide happens it is the response that is generally measured.
The response by everyone around us from the inner circle to the acquaintances to those that don’t even know us has been and is spectacular.
When my nephew Steve and his wonderful wife Meggan were contacted about Chris’ passing, I did not expect them to be at my doorstep 24 hours later. Not because they wouldn’t want to, it’s just that they live in Charleston, South Carolina and Steve was consulting in the New York area at the time. Multiple planes and over 5,000 km later, they were in our Langley home (near Vancouver, BC) helping us deal with events as they were unfolding. Steve’s dedication to the eulogy videos was incredible. Meggan did everything from dishes to vacuuming to listening and supporting and everything else in between.
On Saturday they had to leave for home. After 3 more planes and a long day of travel, Steve ‘rested’ for 8 hours before jumping on yet another plane for an entire week of consulting work in New Jersey. Tired yet? Not Steve. He has helped me immensely this week with patches and logos for lacrosse stickers and jersey patches and even had time to create the desktop background you see above…(picture taken at his hotel workstation).
He’s also been working on AC’s (Auntie Cathy’s) new website and improved access to her music! Be The Best. You are living it Steve-o. We love you guys! With all that energy, he’s like some incredible BCIT graduate or something…(oh right, he is…Computer Systems). Meggan, he is authorized to sleep in till at least 7:30am this Saturday, that is unless you need him to wash the dishes… ur (Uncle Randy)
Be The Best. 