Tag: Christian Friesen

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Be The Best.

Old school meets new school.

English: Apple iPad Event

Every Christmas I look forward to a few days of non work time that I can use to work.

Let me explain.

With a very busy schedule there are many times when I don’t get the chance to just think or explore or let an idea lead to another idea or just experiment.  One thing that I’ve found helpful for me is to use technology to push my own boundaries and that learning can lead to further creativity, new ideas and…wait for it…additional perspective.

So, this year’s Christmas ‘project’ was iPad exploration.  I’m in love with this thing.

However, technology can come with a cost.  There’s a learning curve and so when I got an iTunes gift card I dutifully loaded it into my laptop account and the next day proceeded to download some other apps and music on my iPad and realized a credit card had been billed although a credit should have remained from the iTunes card.

Old school thinking: I probably loaded the card up wrong, so I better find the card now in the kitchen garbage from 2 days ago mixing nicely with the other garbage outside.  Yah, that was fun, but after a little CSI rubber glove investigation, I found it. When I reloaded the card info, I was told the card had already been used.

What?

Newer school thinking: Actually think through the scenario and begin to dig deeper.  Could there be a technology problem and solution?  As it turned out, I had created a second Apple ID and although the devices were syncing together, they were accessing iTunes with different ID’s one of which had the gift card credit still on it and one that had a credit card number on it.

After 30 minutes of invoking the humbling ‘wife can you help me clause’ in our marriage agreement and some interesting searching through online tech chat sites (not), we discovered and fixed the issue.

Why am I telling you this?

Years ago, before iPads and iPods, I told myself that if I could learn ONE new technology item every year and really try to master it, I could continue to learn and grow and push both my efficiency AND effectiveness levels upwards.

For example, one year spending a couple of hours trying to figure out my OLD cell phone and actually program in speed dial numbers was an incredible help.

Today it’s the iPad and the investment of a few hours of initial frustration (some of it self-created!) is part of the learning process that I look forward to every Christmas…just a couple of days where you can relax a little, dig through some garbage and learn some new tricks!

I wish all of you a very meaningful, productive, and inspiring 2012 with many BE THE BEST moments!

Looking forward to sharing those as we go.

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Be The Best.

Emily in prime time.

If you haven’t picked up on it, I’m trying to use the word prime or prime rib in every Holiday post this year…

So….you may have seen the video of the prime rib from Christmas Eve and my little niece Emily munching away.

She taught me a few more things.  Just before we sat down you can hear her saying, ‘I want to see, I want to see’, as her Mom was filming on the iPad with the big visible screen.  You can see as the height of the camera drops, revealing a different perspective…a different viewpoint.

Emily’s Mom Selena, told me a very cool story about just that; perspective and the ‘view’ of a child.

The name Chris (not our Chris) had come up in a conversation and Emily had piped up quite matter-of-factly stating, ‘My Chris is in heaven’.

Yes he is Emily…yes he is.

And then she went on playing.

I love the eyes of a child both literally and how they ‘see’ what many of us miss.

It’s a different perspective on many levels.

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Be The Best.

Prime Time for Prime Rib

Tonight we had prime rib.

It was Chris’ favourite.

Prime rib at the Keg was a right of passage.  We always loved it.

Tonight for the Medema Christmas I smoked a prime rib.

It cooked for 7 hours and every time I went outside to check on it I thought of Chris.

As the prime rib readied itself for the first slice I thought of Chris.

He would have absolutely loved this meal and I thought of him the whole night.

I know he was right here with us, but I’m guessing the Prime Rib is even just a little better at the Keg in the Clouds…although he really would have liked this tonight!

Here’s a little vid of the action.  For all you techies, shot totally on the iPad2 with iMovie.

Have a great Christmas everyone.

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Be The Best.

Stockings and mantels

Last year we put out four stockings.

This is not 'the' stocking...just 'a' stocking.

We just had to have one for Chris too.

This year we put out five.

No, we are not adopting a child or adding a pet…that I’m aware of.

We (meaning my Better Half) put out the four stockings at home but this is the first Christmas we have a memorial location for Chris at The Wall or Chris’ Wall as we call it, nestled below the massive cedars that protect the group of memorial walls.

There’s a little stocking on our tree that we’ve had for years.  It’s a decoration.  Chris would have surely helped with putting this on the tree with his Mom as he and Max did each year.

That little stocking now adorns Chris’ marker at his Wall.

That might sound sad and it is sad but not ‘just sad’ as we know Chris is always with us.  It is amazing to see a place like the cemetery so colourful on these grey late fall days.  People are remembering their loved ones with flowers, Christmas ornaments and angel figurines.

And on one special marker (yes, read mantel), there’s a little red cloth stocking.

We luv ya kid, every minute of every day.

That’s what your stocking is full of on Christmas and every day of the year.

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Be The Best.

The way you face.

One of the things I love about Saturday mornings is watching a little Premier League Soccer as the schedule permits.  With games as early as 5 and 7am, the timing works well with the newspaper and a good cup of coffee.

I love the skill, the speed, the set-up and I love those British announcers use of the English language.  Their phrasing and commentary adds a poetic quality to the experience.

Football (Soccer ball)
Image via Wikipedia

We’ve played a lot of noon hour soccer with my work gang over the years.

It’s not quite at Premier League level…but you wouldn’t know it from the locker room stories told just after the match.

When you play sports and you are in the heat of the moment field-of-play one thing you’ll hear is players shouting to other players.  Usually instructions come in bursts of 2 or 3 repeats.  Move the ball, move the ball, MOVE THE BALL…all increasing in urgency.

Ok, that last one is what gets yelled at me a lot, so maybe I’m just sensitive.  Joking aside, I’ve wondered about this form of communication and liken it to military instruction in the heat of the battle.  You want to be clear about your communication and there’s no time to waste with niceties.

One of the most interesting lines I’ve heard a million times on the soccer pitch is, ‘the way you face’.

When you are playing soccer the objective is pretty clear.  You need to score on the opponent’s goal.  In order to do this you should be moving the ball forward toward the enemy’s net.

However, many times you don’t receive the ball in a position where going forward makes the most sense.

In other words, if you receive the ball and you happen to be turned towards your own goal, your natural instinct may be to make an immediate turn and try to push the ball forward.

That could be the worst move.

When you hear, ‘the way you face’, ‘the way you face’, ‘the way you face’, it’s a reminder from your teammate to gain control of the ball and move the ball in the direction you are facing at the time which may appear counterproductive but ultimately allows your team to go forward.

I’ve thought about that phrase a lot in the game of life.

Sometimes turning too quickly and trying to push forward to the opponent’s goal is not the right move.

Playing the way you face, ie passing the ball ‘backwards’ before your team moves the play forward again protects possession and ultimately provides a greater opportunity to score.

Too heavy on the soccer analogies?

I think I may get another Americano and watch game 2 of the Premier League.

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Be The Best.

Woah Christmas Tree Woah Christmas Tree

Woah is right.

We got a new ornament for the tree this year.

Last year Ingrid picked out an ornament of a dove with a soft light that reminded us of Chris being with us.

We really liked it, but we thought Chris might have thought it was….well too dove-like with a soft light…

This year we wanted to get another ornament that reminds us that Chris is with us.

Yup, Adrian Peterson.

Now that’s what I’m talking about!

This is the first NFL ornament we’ve ever had.

It’s the first football ornament we’ve ever had.

So why Adrian?

For long time blog readers you will know.

Chris had a picture of Adrian Peterson from the Minnesota Vikings with BE THE BEST printed on top of it.

It was a home-made personalized poster that Chris used for motivation.

Adrian Peterson is not a tall guy, but he’s strong, fast and will never go down without a fight.

When we saw it at the local Hallmark store, it was obvious which ornament needed to be on the tree this year.

I think our tree ‘cool factor’ just climbed a little and we know Chris will be grinning about this one.

Be The Best.

We continue to be amazed at the power of those three words and how they push us and so many of you.

Although the pain of loss still pounds through our bones like a West Coast grey mist that never quite clears, the power to continue to fight and carry on is embodied in guys like Adrian Peterson who inspired Chris who inspires us to Be The Best every day…and when we’re not, we pick ourselves up, go back to the huddle, get a new play and push ahead for another first down.

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Be The Best.

Geroy’s class act.

Max and I had planned to attend the BC Lions football game vs. Edmonton a couple of weeks back.

When the world changed for the Reichelt family last weekend I had a sneaking suspicion that Bill would be in the thick of the action Sunday.

There was a beautiful moment of silence for Dylan at the game and it was hard to see the picture of him so big on the center screen because of what it meant.

As guys we generally don’t like to talk about our feelings all that much.  We’d rather be doing stuff, building stuff, competing against something, winning.  (did you know the Taj Mahal was built to honour the then emperor Shah Jahan’s 3rd wife after her death?…yah, I looked it up…)  It is HUGELY important for men to honour those who have passed.

The Lions wearing DR stickers on their helmets was also a class act.

Geroy Simon giving the ball to Bill after scoring an amazing touchdown further shows the class he has and the support Bill and his family has from the team.

From the Sun article:

Reichelt said the victory and now the opportunity for the Lions to win a Grey Cup on home turf can never compensate for his loss.

“But Dylan loved the team to win. He just loved it when they won. He played a part in this, for sure.”

Exactly.  Dylan LOVED to win.  I know the Lions loved to show how much they cared by playing yesterday’s game for Dylan.  A class act all around.

Here’s the full article.

Lion hands ball to Reichelt after score

By Gary Kingston, Vancouver SunNovember 21, 2011

The ‘DR’ stickers on their helmets was an indication that the loss was still raw for some B.C. Lions players on Sunday.

But veteran receiver Geroy Simon felt a need to go one step further.

Following his second-quarter touchdown reception, Simon took the ball and gave it to longtime trainer Bill Reichelt on the sideline. It was Reichelt’s 18-year-old son Dylan, a frequent gameday helper on the sidelines at Lions’ home games, who was killed in a car crash eight days earlier.

“We lost a member of our family,” said Simon after the Lions’ 40-23 CFL West Final win over the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place. “I don’t know what to say man, it’s tough. It’s just tough losing a family member. We wanted to show [Bill] that we love him.”

Simon said he had initially planned to give the ball after a touchdown catch Sunday to his son, “but I just had to give it to Bill.”

An emotional Reichelt, who was sporting the same ‘DR’ button as other Lions’ staffers, said afterwards in a quiet corner of the locker-room that he wrote Dylan’s name on the ball and put it in a trunk on the sideline for safekeeping.

“Geroy’s a class act,” he said. “[The support from the team] has been unbelievable. They just seem to know when to bring me back up. They just get you back laughing, get your mind off everything. It was awesome.”

Reichelt said the victory and now the opportunity for the Lions to win a Grey Cup on home turf can never compensate for his loss.

“But Dylan loved the team to win. He just loved it when they won. He played a part in this, for sure.”

gkingston@vancouversun.com

 

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Be The Best.

Leaves fall up.

We understand that leaves fall down.

We understand that human lives end.

What we have limited understanding about is what happens to the life or spirit or soul or however you want to describe it, that goes so much beyond the human existence.

One of the things that I’ve learned from time and time again is seeing things from a different perspective is exceptionally valuable.  It pushes me to challenge what I thought was clearly obvious.  Sometimes going up to 10,000 feet…and other times going down to 3 feet.

For no particular reason, I shot some video of leaves falling on a clear cold day this weekend.

I thought it might be fun to reverse the video.

What would it look like if leaves fell up?

It was just one of those little perspective moments of thinking about things in a different way and knowing how much I don’t know about life after life.

This is either super deep, or maybe just off the deep end!  In any event, here’s a little vid.

Leaves falling up.

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Be The Best.

Who makes us what we are?

Now there’s a heavy question for your weekend.

If you haven’t read the latest few comments on this blog, take a look.  They are both from teachers of Dylan and Chris.

Our families have a huge influence on who we are.  How we’re raised, the home culture, values etc.

When I think of Chris, I can’t help but think of all the amazing influence outside the home that helped to shape him.  Teachers, coaches, trainers.

I was reading Dylan’s obituary today…(hard to even type that).  There are a few lines that so accurately describe him.

Dylan was charismatic, genuine, optimistic and never shy or awkward. He enjoyed life and excelled at anything he set his hand to. He was quick with a grin and a smart remark and was loved by everyone he met.

Yes.  That is exactly Dylan.

Dylan comes from a great family and has been shaped by them of course, with the continual positive influence of teachers, coaches and mentors over time.

For all teachers and coaches…please know that your legacy reaches far beyond the achievement of a grade or success at a sport.  It shapes young men and women who in turn provide positive influence in their circles and beyond.  We continue to see that in Chris’ legacy as people all over are aiming to Be The Best.  We love it.

As we grieve for Dylan and his family, we know that the legacy of laughter, caring, acceptance, kindness and excellence will live forever.

Here is Dylan’s obituary in full with a link to the memorial site.

REICHELT, Dylan James February 4, 1993 – November 12, 2011

It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our son Dylan James Reichelt, who died in a car accident on Saturday, November 12th, 2011. Dylan is survived by his parents, Bill and Cathy, sisters, Keri and Keira, twin brother, Jesse, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Born and raised in Langley, Dylan had a passion for golf, hockey, Iron Maiden, Manchester City FC, working out, refereeing, fishing, boating, video games, wakeboarding, wake surfing, steak, and Caesar salad.

He attended Murrayville Elementary, graduated from Brookswood Secondary in June 2011 and was in his first year of a business degree at Kwantlen University. Dylan enjoyed all forms of athletics, playing baseball, golf, soccer, ice hockey, street hockey with the boys, tennis in the park and he was always game to go to the gym. He enjoyed being a referee for Langley Minor Hockey and “”Gatorade”” boy for the BC Lions Home Games.

He was ranked #1 in points with the Maple leaf golf tour in BC and had been invited to the MJT National Tour Championships in Orlando, Florida, along with his best friend and brother, Jesse. Dylan was charismatic, genuine, optimistic and never shy or awkward. He enjoyed life and excelled at anything he set his hand to. He was quick with a grin and a smart remark and was loved by everyone he met.

A celebration of Dylan’s life will be held on Monday, November 21, 2011 at 11:00 am at the Christian Life Assembly, 21277 – 56th Avenue, Langley. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to RBC, account #00608-003-5018650 in support of the Dylan Reichelt Memorial Fund.

Condolences may be offered at www.hendersonslangleyfunerals.com

Arrangements under the direction of Henderson’s Langley Funeral Home, Langley, BC.

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Be The Best.

I Remember

i remember

 

i remember each september

when the summer sun still glows;

i remember each october

when the winds begin to blow;

i remember each november

when the leafs are painted red;

i remember each december

when through the snow we tread;

whatever the month

whatever the day

whatever we’re doing

wherever we stay

you are loved loved loved

forever and always