Tag: Be The Best.

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Be The Best.

The bar is set high!

The first Christian Friesen Memorial award went to an outstanding young man, Luke Genereux, just a few months ago in January.  You can see that post here.

Luke has now made the President’s Honour Roll at Simon Fraser University which is an outstanding achievement.

He’s set that bar pretty high!  A huge congratuations are in order for this amazing accomplishment.  You can read the details from the SFU press release below.

SFU Senior Captain Luke Genereux named to President’s Honour Roll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

By William Howard,

 

SFU Lacrosse Media Relations

 

Simon Fraser University Men’s Lacrosse

BURNABY, BC (June 17, 2011) – Andrew Petter, President and Vice Chancellor of Simon

Fraser University has awarded men’s lacrosse graduating senior Luke Genereux (Port

Coquitlam, BC / Terry Fox Secondary) standing on the President’s Honour Roll. This award

is for students who have completed at least 30 units at SFU, and have achieved a term

GPA of 4.0 or above while taking at least 12 units of classes. The prestigious award for

outstanding academic achievement is permanently noted on a student’s transcript.

Genereux, who is expected to be named a MCLA Scholar Athlete later this summer, was

named an MCLA All-American for the second straight year in 2011 after receiving

honorable mention status last season. A senior captain for the Clan, he was also named a

PNCLL First Team All-Conference selection for the third and final time in his collegiate

career, after earning the same honor in both his freshman and junior year.

Genereux played four seasons for Simon Fraser from 2007-2011 at close defense and

LSM, helping to lead the Clan to a PNCLL Conference Championship and an appearance

in the MCLA National Championship Quarterfinals in 2009 and a run to the MCLA National

Championship Semi-Finals in 2010. SFU also finished as PNCLL Conference runners-up in

2007, 2010 and 2011.

Simon Fraser University is an academics first institution and Genereux’s award reflects a strong emphasis placed on

academics by SFU Co-Head Coaches Jeff Cathrea and Brent Hoskins. In seven seasons under Cathrea and Hoskins’

leadership, their players have excelled in the classroom producing the programs first eleven (11) MCLA Scholar Athletes

(Academic All-Americans) and maintaining the programs best academic record.

ABOUT SIMON FRASER MEN’S LACROSSE

Simon Fraser University men’s lacrosse will compete in its seventeenth season in 2012 and competes in the Men’s

Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA). The Clan have captured a record eight PNCLL Conference Titles (1997, 1998,

1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008 and 2009) and rank sixth all-time with ten MCLA National Championship tournament

appearances, placing 2nd in 1999 and playing in the 2010 MCLA Semi-Finals after reaching the Quarterfinals in 2008 and

2009. The Clan proudly wear equipment and apparel by Harrow Sports and Cascade helmets.

For further information on Simon Fraser men’s lacrosse please visit sfulacrosse.com or follow the Clan on Twitter at

twitter.com/fraserlacrosse.

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Be The Best.

Skiing in June?

A closeup of the Grouse Mountain skyride
Image via Wikipedia

Max heard Grouse Mountain was still open for skiing and boarding.

Really?

In June?

Max came up with the crazy plan of hitting the slopes on his birthday (or 1 day before)…something never before attempted.

Sure enough, with an enormous base, Grouse is aiming to remain open on weekends till July 1.  Judging by the snow conditions today, they’ll be pushing it, but skiing on local mountains in June?  Are you kidding me?  What an experience.

So with my Canadian Hockey jersey given to me by Chris on the Christmas just before the Olympics, I joined Max and Kiera as we avoided a few rocks and a bunch of grass and had a great day.

Of course we had to shoot a little vid for proof!

We ended the day with dinner at the beach.

Only in Vancouver!

Happy 20th Max.  Hopefully the Nux will bring home the Cup for your birthday tomorrow.

I know your brother gives you the biggest virtual hug possible…and maybe a punch or two on the arm…you are brothers after all.

 

 

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Be The Best.

Getting the exposure right.

We’re spending more time at Chris’ wall than we thought we might.

We know his spirit is with us every day and everywhere, but there is something about that place.

We love the trees.

Something about these silent, magnificent soldiers that don’t say much, but quietly breathe oxygen into the atmosphere as the wind brushes through.

They stand guard through sun, wind, snow and rain.

I finally brought my decent camera and have a few photos here.

If you ever go, we want you to think about Chris’ amazing life, his passion and commitment to Being the Best and as you reflect…think about how you’ll be the best too.

It’s a never-ending challenge in the best of ways!

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Be The Best.

The ABC’s of Family

Went for breakfast this morning at ABC.

Reasonable food, reasonable service…but I’ll save the eatery critique for my other blog…’Eating Your Way Through the Fraser Valley’, coming in 2014.  Wait for it.

The purpose for the breakfast was to see if my vision of Mom and Dad on Friday night was simply a dream sequence or actually real.

I took a camera along to be sure.

I remember just a couple of months back when Dad was so sick, thinking of our mountain biking experience last summer and simply making the schedule work to make that connection work.

Breakfast today was simply another opportunity to make the schedule work so we could connect, share some stories, have a few laughs and maybe a few sad stories too.

All part of being a family.

I guess the moral of the story is that any time and any experience can be a good one and continue to renew and deepen the bond.  Even a simple breakfast.

Here’s the pictorial evidence.

A respectful pose with Randy, Dad, Mom and sister Val.
The funny thing about this pic is that it looks like Mom is giving Dad the 'rabbit ears'...or maybe she actually is!
Max, Dad and Mom.
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Christian Friesen

June 2011

June 2011 was one of those points in time that I knew was coming.

I didn’t really want it to get here.

But like a train whistle on a quiet night heard from miles away, I knew the train called time was on the track and couldn’t be stopped.

What’s the big deal with June?

It’s another major milestone.

Chris would have graduated from High School this month.  That’s a big deal because it meant the next steps of the bigger plan which included lacrosse, university and of course the doorway to the rest of his life.

We drove by a grad ceremony last week quite by accident.  It wasn’t from his high school…in fact it was in another city.  It did not take long for emotions to be on high alert.

This is just part of the journey and journey we will.

Bri (centre) with friends.

Now, there is a very great side of June that we welcome with huge and open hearts.

Chris’ friends will graduate soon and there will be more on that topic in another post, but Chris had a very close cousin named Brianna who graduated last night.  We were able to meet up with her and get some pictures and talk with her before the big ceremony.  To say we are proud is a complete understatement.

This is a young woman who is beautiful both inside and out.  She is as smart as a whip taking home multiple awards and trophies last night.  As Bri enters her next chapter of life, we would say these profound words….YOU GO GIRL!!

Dream your dreams.  Write down your visions.  Turn them into measurable goals and get to work in making it all come true.

Now as an addendum to this, as we were waiting to connect with Bri, a young couple came walking across the parking lot.  It was sort of like a dream sequence.  This young couple was my Mom and Dad.  The last time I saw them together, I was wheeling Dad in a hospital chair from one floor to another (yes, via elevator!) to see Mom who was also in the hospital.  To see them walking towards us looking as svelte as ever was nothing short of a miracle I would say.  I’ve taken a few pictures so you can judge for yourself.

Have a great and SAFE weekend!

(you can click on images for a larger picture)

Even more pics on Picasa.

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Be The Best.

Have you seen this kid?

I saw this article in the local paper today and my heart skipped a beat or two.  His name is Scott.  Scott Di Vincenzo to be exact.  I don’t know him.  I don’t know his family….but my heart still skipped a few beats.

Here’s the story:

May 12th

A Surrey family is desperate to find their missing 13-year-old son, who was last seen in Nanaimo.

It has been four days since Scott Di Vincenzo was reported missing in Surrey on Saturday.

His parents, who describe their son as friendly and caring but fearless and not street-smart, say they plan to stay in Nanaimo as long as it takes to find him.

“I don’t think he realizes what kind of danger is out there,” said mother Solimar. “We need everyone’s help because we don’t know where to look for him anymore.”

Solimar and father Len say their son has run away in the past but for only a few hours at a time. Di Vincenzo was upset over being grounded and can rebel against authority, say his parents, who do not believe any other factors are behind his disappearance.

Police located the boy as he got off the ferry at Departure Bay with a friend but as he was being returned to Surrey by friends, Di Vincenzo ran off when they stopped at the Wallace Street Tim Hortons, where he was last seen Sunday.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Surrey+family+searches+desperately+missing+Nanaimo/4771138/story.html#ixzz1MOGeEs00
As I was researching a little  more tonight, I read the updated news that Scott had been found and reunited by an amazing youth worker on the Island.  What a Be The Best moment.

Sometimes life makes you want to run away as Scott did.  It’s great to hear he’s reconnected.

Scott, I’m guessing you’re probably not a blog reader, but if you ever see this, remember that no mountain is ever too big to climb, tunnel under or just rent a helicopter and fly over.

May 13

NANAIMO — A chance meeting between a young boy and a Nanaimo youth worker led to a plan that eventually reunited a missing 13-year-old boy with his family.

Scott Di Vincenzo is home in Surrey after being returned to his parents late Wednesday night, four days after he was last seen at a Nanaimo coffee shop.

It was by coincidence, minutes after noticing downtown one of more than 500 flyers on Tuesday, that John Barsby Community School youth worker Ray McDonald ran into a young boy he recognized and told him to call him if he spotted the Surrey ninth grader.

Dozens of phone calls between that boy and another believed to be harbouring the teen, and McDonald (called “a hero” by the Di Vincenzo family), led to the setup that reunited the family.

Di Vincenzo thought he was only getting something to eat when the boys met McDonald on the corner of Rosehill Street and Terminal Avenue around 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Less than 100 metres away sat his parents, Solimar and Len, at a restaurant. The boys were driven to get fast food, with Di Vincenzo having no idea he was about to be dropped off with his parents. Late Tuesday night, Di Vincenzo had taunted McDonald over the phone, saying: “You won’t ever catch me.”

But his defiance over the phone later dissolved into tears.

“I honestly think at the end, he was ready to go home,” said McDonald, who will stay in touch with Di Vincenzo. “I don’t think I’m a hero. All I know is I tried to find a missing kid.”

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Be The Best.

Mom’s Day v2 – a different perspective

After I wrote the Mom’s Day blog on Sunday, we headed out for an afternoon White Rock beach walk…but not before a stop at Chris’ wall.

We’ve been there many times by now and although there were no services going on at the time, it was like rush hour at the facility.

At first we didn’t get it and then it became incredibly obvious.  Families had come out to remember their Moms and Grandmas.  Fresh flowers were everywhere.  If it wasn’t a cemetery I would say it was beautiful.

Actually…I take that last comment back.  It was beautiful.  The beauty was not the marking of death and passing, but rather the symbol of remembrance and respect.  I can only imagine, but as people stood by the markers of their loved ones, they were thinking about how that person had affected their own lives and how they would live on to honour and respect that memory.

As we were leaving, a man in his 40’s we guess came with his aging Dad (their physical resemblance was uncanny).  They approached the wall and we didn’t see where they went, but we’re pretty sure it was to acknowledge a wife and mother.

Mother’s Day in the cemetery.  Hadn’t really thought of it before.  As sad as it could be, it was also pretty amazing to see the influence these women had on their families in some cases generations later.

That’s a pretty special legacy.

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Be The Best.

Go Canucks!

Maybe a strong GO CANUCKS GO doesn’t fit in a blog about loss, grief and the new normal…but I beg to differ.

I’ve written before about sitting down with Max and Chris watching the Nux getting eliminated from the playoffs by Chicago.  I told them that sick feeling we all had was what it was like being a lifelong Canucks fan.

Sure that was an emotional statement at the time, but ultimately, I still had hope.

Now what I’ve learned about HOPE is that it’s an action word.

So, this season we cheered, watched, joined hockey pools and generally had a great time living the experience with the Canucks.

That brings us to this week.  Due to a friend’s ridiculous schedule and fantastic generosity Max and I ended up with tickets to Game 7 on Tuesday.

I was ecstatic to take Max to that experience.  This pic (lousy blackberry camera) shows the hype and excitement…and that was just the pre-game!

I wanted to wear something from Chris as well.  I chose his shoes.

When Burrows scores a goal he sometimes shoots an arrow into the sky to remember his friend and fellow Canuck, Luc Bourdon, who had died in a motorcycle crash in 2008.

When Burrows scored in overtime on Tuesday night, Rogers Arena erupted like a volcano.

I don’t think Burrows had a chance to shoot his arrow as he was mobbed and crushed in a happy dog pile.

In a previous game, Burrows pays tribute to his friend.

The emotion I felt was incredible.

I remember high-fiving with Max and others fans around, but mostly just holding my arms in the air and screaming like a moron.

In that moment time stopped and I thought of Chris.

I thought about how much he would have loved to see the Canucks slay this dragon and move forward with the playoffs.  I thought about how much I missed sharing that experience with him while at the same time so pumped to be able to share the experience with Max.

I loved standing in Chris’ shoes and drinking in the excitement of the crowd.

Although they couldn’t be there in person, I believe Chris and Luc Bourdon and many other hockey fans were cheering loudly up in their lofty box seats.

Go Nucks Go!!

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Be The Best.

Easter Sunday, and so it begins…v2

I wrote a post with that same title, ‘Easter Sunday, and so it begins’ on Easter Sunday 2010.

Although over a year has passed and we’ve marked a year from Chris passing date and service date, today marks a very important milestone as well.

Since beginning this blog last Easter Sunday, individual blog posts have been read over 127,000 times.

I get that most people still to this day don’t really know what to say or how to say it.  But as therapeutic as writing these posts day after day and week after week has been, it’s been amazing to know that a silent army stands alongside.

I love that.

I read with interest an essay in the Vancouver Sun over morning coffee yesterday.

It was titled, ‘The Biology of hope bolsters Easter’s central message’.  I’ve linked here if you have time to peruse.

I love this little excerpt:

These definitions make clear hope should not be confused with blind optimism.

When we are suffering or fearful, our hopes may often be dim, but they must include reasonable expectation.

Hope is distinguished from mere wishing. We can wish for financial wealth, or a cure for our loved one’s cancer, a dictator to be vanquished or a sudden end to global warming. But sometimes wishes are not realistic.

“Wishing are words and left brain,” Vaillant writes.

“In contrast, hope is made up of images and is rooted in the right brain. Wishing on a star takes no effort. Hope often requires enormous effort and shapes real lives.”

The transcendent quality of hope points to why researchers are coming to realize it is not only an emotion. It is a virtue.

As such, it must be cultivated, especially when times are toughest.

When I wrote the post, ‘Hope is an action word’, Chris’ amazing friend (who’s name is Hope) wrote a fantastic comment.  It simply said, ‘I am Hope’.

Yes you are.  Hope…you are Hope!

If you don’t mind, we are trying to be a little Hope-like ourselves!

The thing that really struck me about this article in the Sun was that in order for Hope to be Hope and not just a wish or dream, is that it required ACTION.

HOPE, DECISIONS, ACTION.

As I said on Friday, it’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.

Of course Sunday is here for Easter 2011, but we wait and live with HOPE for our next ‘Sunday’ with Chris whenever that will be.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Biology+hope+bolsters+Easter+central+message/4663871/story.html#ixzz1KRrA9apN

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Be The Best.

Sunsets in a different place.

You know I love sunrises and especially sunsets.

This is a bit of a different one.  This is taken with a lousy Blackberry phone, but I loved the sun screaming across the field and shining on a wall.

The field is a cemetery and the wall is Chris’ wall.  Dogwood #41.

Every time we go to the cemetery it is a special moment for lack of a better word.

We get that Chris’ spirit doesn’t live there.

But that being said, it’s becoming a very cool place to connect with Chris and all the love, emotions, hopes, desires, proud moments, sad moments, lost future, and hope of a future to come.

Here’s a little peek at that world.

View from Chris' wall looking out across the cemetery field at the setting sun.
View of Chris' wall with his white rose (from his Mom) and paper marker as we await his brass name plate. Love the sun hitting the wall in the latter part of the day.