I can’t look into the sky without thinking about Chris.
Whether it’s the moon and stars at night or an intense cloud formation or even occasional blue sky during the day!
Max and I had another reason to gaze heavenwards on Friday as we were guests of friends and business clients Mainland Machinery at the Abbotsford International Airshow.
It had been probably 10 years since we were last there and it was awesome to be back.
From the static displays to the roar of the jets, we had a great time.
You can’t go to that event without thinking and acknowledging all of our servicemen and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms. We salute them all!!
And yes, as I watched the jets scream by and the parachutes float down, I thought about Chris with every look to the sky.
I had forgotten about some quick vid shots that Max and I had taken during the Maple Leaf Award dinner.
The one minute video recap is below.
As mentioned, Scott Rintoul from Team 1040 radio did a great job emceeing the event and it was great to meet him in person.
As a shameless BCIT plug, he’s a fantastic ambassador for the broadcasting programs (radio, journalism, tv) and we’re sure proud to have him as one of our Alumni. For those readers of this blog who are making education and career decisions in the next few years (or parents), BCIT has an excellent Big Info night coming up on March 2. I just double checked the weblink and my staff have put a very freaky looking picture of yours truly up on a vid that gives you a run-through of the event. Ok…why am I telling you all this? Of course, I love BCIT and what it does for people’s lives, but education of ALL FORMS is so critical to provide choice, options and opportunities for the future. These sessions simply open up eyes and brains to a bigger understanding of what kind of possibilities exist in the world of education. On a personal level, that’s a BIG DEAL for us as parents and I believe for us as a province and country as well. Ok, enough already, I’m stepping down from the soapbox…!
The last frame of the Maple Leaf video is a picture of the quilt that was made for us by one of my BCIT staff colleagues in Marketing, Kim. That became an instant family heirloom and something that we treasure at a very deep level. It seemed fitting for Chris’ 32 to show at the end of this clip surrounded by his BMS teammates. The side of the quilt shown in the vid is made entirely of Burnaby Mountain Select jersies that were brought to Chris’ funeral as a sign of respect, honour and friendship at Chris’ funeral.
To see more about the quilt, you can read/view: 7 days to write about a quilt and then link to other quilt blogs. For a while there I thought this was going to become a full-time quilting blog but thankfully I left that to quilting professionals.
As we move forward from the Maple Leaf Awards 2011 and the initial Chris Friesen Memorial Award, we are excited think about the thousands of dollars to be awarded in the future and more importantly the opportunity to inspire and challenge young men and women each year to BE THE BEST.
I’ve gone a week or two without a blog post about quilts.
That won’t do.
I found these pics today from August 2009. We were having a Friesen family reunion and this was the time where my Mom had the idea to make a family quilt. You can see that finished product here.
Anyways, I loved these pics of Chris making his square as well as a great shot of him and his cousins fooling around.
You may remember those blogs about quilts. You can connect here if you haven’t read them already.
Some amazing work by Kim, a part of my incredible marketing team at BCIT. Amazing work on many levels and we love it. Anyone who comes over wants to see the quilt. I love seeing the lacrosse players pick out their numbers or friends and family recognize the jerseys and clothes that were Chris’ favourites.
I want to show you another quilt tonight. (who knew this was going to become a quilting blog..!)
The Friesen side of the family had a few days together in the summer of ’09 and my Mom (Leona, Grandma) had an idea of making a quilt at that time. The goal was for each family member to design a square. It could be stitched or simply designed with coloured pens. Each square was to represent something about that person. Most family members completed their squares over the few days with the last few squares added in the weeks following.
What a cool idea.
What do you think Chris drew? Yah, not that hard to guess…a couple of lacrosse sticks and a beautiful message to Grandma. “I love you” in his own handwriting.
He loved his Grandma so much.
Each year he looked forward to her canned peaches and would eat a jar at a sitting if we didn’t catch him first!
What a testament to a Grandma’s love. What a testament to Chris who wasn’t afraid to tell people he loved his Grandma and Grandpa…even as a 16 year old kid at the time.
What an idea to make this quilt.
I saw it completed just a few weeks ago and this video gives you a close up look at this priceless piece of art.
“I love you”. Powerful. We love you too Chris. Always.
Be The Best. 