Memories
Entries in order of author's last name... R-Q:
Reid, Catherine Reid, Keith Reid Sylvia Ruekert, Lindsay
Catherine Reid
Lindsay Ruekert
Sylvia Reid
Keith Reid
Viagra Arthritic Angelfire Site
World Championship Heed Site
Elf Costume
01/03/29 I was at my grandparents� farm yesterday, �Maple Heath�. Maple Heath has been in the Reid family for well over a hundred years. It�s a city block of farm, surrounded by a posh suburb in Kelowna, BC. Yesterday, I stood by the side door of the old house, looking, just taking everything in. There was the car port to my left, with a white, un-driven, uninsured, old car, surrounded by an unending supply of broken contraptions � old jam jars, and who knows what else. There was the tiny dirt path ahead of me, with an old chicken coop on the left. The coop�s just as stuffed full with random objects and treasures as the carport is. The old work shed loomed above me as I walked down the path towards it. As I passed the open front, I notice the large, suspended, dinghy centrepiece, surrounded by anvils, huge, rusted chains, ancient tools, and car parts � long forgotten. I reached the end wall of the shed and came to a small clearing, where I stopped. I looked to the huge barn ahead of me. It�s to be torn down this summer, if it doesn�t fall down first. The walls bulged from the weight they supported, as old hay peaked through the gaps in the wood. I turned to my right to look over the piles of junk, over the remaining chunks of fence, to the unkempt field beyond. The last animals that occupied it had long been sold. As my eyes reached the back of the field, I saw ten or more old cars, just waiting to be useful. Behind them were trees, with rooftops above. Then, the beautiful Rocky Mountains, which finally gave way to the cloudy, grey sky. To me, Maple Heath is beautiful; a pocket of history, heritage, love and a true home, in a world of square-edges, stainless steel, flashy colours � vain hearts. A tear finally dislodged itself from my left eye and began its journey as I stood there. I lost someone dear to me almost four months ago, suddenly, and inevitably. He was a classmate for all eleven years of my schooling, a friend for the last four, my best-friend for the last eighteen months, and the one I finally realized I truly loved three years after he knew he loved me, but only five months before he died. For the last year and a half, Jason and I had shared every tear, every smile � every hurt, every joy. He was the one who truly showed me God. Jason lived for God in every way. WE were inseparable and usually intolerable to every one else. He took every opportunity to tease me, but also every opportunity to love me. He was always there, not matter what. Jason and I loved to plan both our near and far future, for we believed we would always be together. WE planned that when my parents and I drove out to BC this summer, we would find a way for him to come. I wanted more than anything for him to see Maple Heath, and to meet my family, especially my grandparents, before they passed on. I�m leaving BC tomorrow to go home to Manitoba. As I think about the goodbye�s I will say tomorrow, it hits me. I may never see some of my family again. My grandparents are very old, and both and aunt and a great uncle have cancer. My eight and eleven year-old cousins will possibly be pre-teen and teenage cousins when I see them next, for I might not be back for two or more years. My sweet Jason never got to see Maple Heath or meet my family. I never got to ask him to wait for me, to tell him �I love you� one more time, or to say good-bye. This time, God has granted me the chance to do all these things. I may very well see my family again before that great feast in Heaven, but I may not. �God giveth and God taketh away�. God gave us Jason. God also took Jason away, but He left us with lessons to be learned from both Jason�s life and death. Jason taught me God. He taught me that God is love, and that love is not only giving, but learning to receive as well. He taught me forgiveness; that love always offers another chance. Jason taught me that true love is unconditional, and all encompassing. He taught me that letting the tears flow takes a stronger person than does holding them in. Jason taught me to have faith in both the best and worst times because as he used to tell me, �God will always be there, and eventually, he�ll make it �all good��. Jason�s death taught me not to leave words unsaid, or feelings hidden, for you never know when you�ll have missed your last chance. His death also taught me the true strength, love, comfort and power a faith in God can bring, because without that, I will never see my precious Jason again. So, as I say my good-bye�s tomorrow, I�ll make sure to say all my words, to tell my family I love the. I�ll make sure to give extra hugs and a silent prayer for each of them, �cause it could be my last chance. This is my old memory� I thought I�d leave it in even though it doesn�t make much sense. How to sum Wils up in one memory? Impossible. He did so much for me, my life, my health, my happiness, my faith, as he did and is still doing for so many. He's the one that took me to youth group for the first time, and I've never looked back. Wils was the one who walked all the way across town after school one day, just cause I'd sent him an email when I was really upset, and he was worried and thought I needed a hug. That was in grade nine, and I was at Nila's house, but that didn't stop him. Hearing his voice, as he sang in front of 250-300 people, and waiting for our turn to go on stage, knowing that sitting there beside me backstage, he was just as nervous, and praying just as hard as I was. Finally, hearing him tell me in grade 8 after we broke up that he would wait an eternity just to see my face, and hear me say I love him one more time. He did wait, two years, and I just pray and hope with all my heart that he can just wait a few more years, cause I'll spend the rest of my life waiting for him. Wait for me Jas
I�ve known J for several years as one of the guys, as one of Cath�s good friends and finally as a prospective son-in-law. Words can�t really summarize my memories of Jason; I�ll try to mention just a few important pictures and feelings that come to mind. We (Viagra Arthritic) played against the senior high soccer team several times� and got beaten too. Here was a guy who had an awesome right foot. Not at all pretentious, with strong quiet confidence on D, every time we got it in, he would get to the ball and he would boot that ball way back out to our end, invariably onto the right foot of one of his forwards. �Keep the ball far away from Jason� was the only way to develop ANY semblance of a game in the PP end of the field. Now where is that Viagra Arthritic Angelfire site that I made so many years ago? � Ah yes�. http://www.angelfire.com/va2/pinawa/index.html yep, there�s a shot of J�s right foot about to take the ball away from me again. Let�s never forget that J was also an unbelievably polished Heed GM (Grand Master.) A visit to the World Championship Heed Site: http://www.geocities.com/roving_sailor/Heed1.html has to convince anyone, even those who know nothing of the game, that here was an unbelievably natural heed. In true J fashion, NOT taking any recognition away from the sole surviving Heed GM, Murat. Remember to spread the heed in Toronto, M. J was a quiet guy that would rise above his natural shyness to perform some pretty outlandish stuff on stage. I�m still giggling over the elf costume and statement of elfishness http://www.geocities.com/roving_sailor/play99.html . Yep, that�s J with the surprisingly tame shirt and the funny hat beside Brent, and speaking of funny hats, that one of Cath�s probably should not be worn to school before people have had their lunch. Here was a guy that had serious love, faith and determination, pretty clear on what he wanted to do with his time on earth and going quietly ahead to do it. He was the kind of guy that you could really enjoy for a stomp around the bush, soaking up views of snow on the rocks, bush and trees knocking over an ecologically sound Christmas tree to give sunlight to another. Here was the kind of person that really had his own thoughts�. somebody that I enjoyed just being with. J also had a good grasp of the fact that there IS A PLAN. I personally still think that the, Jason leaving us, part of the PLAN sucks BIG time. However, J knew this PLAN stuff and, though it still stinks, I am starting to notice the positives of J�s legacy of loving, thinking, wondering, praying and objecting but still believing that there is this plan and that we all must do our utmost to play the best part that we can. We WILL get to experience J in our lives, loving, thinking, wondering, praying and objecting, playing soccer, heed, stompin in the bush and wearing funny clothes. keithscientist@cheerful.com
When Jason was young, we knew him only as one of Catherine�s schoolmates, a shy, gentle boy who loved to collect rocks. When Jason and she were in grade eight, we knew him as the fun loving, quiet boyfriend and then, later on, he became �just a friend�. Wilson was that polite teen who called every night to talk for hours and hours, the one who cared long after other friends or boyfriends had gone home. Catherine would always insist that he was just a friend, nothing more. Behind her back, we would nudge each other and say, �She�s on the phone again with �Just-a-Friend��. Yes, he was a friend; he was a True Friend- always ready to help, listen, forgive and encourage. Later, as they became �a couple�, we saw him as a fine young man with a strong, quiet sense of who he was. He had the courage to sit at the Reid dinner table and hold his own! He had the courage to be himself- to wear his colourful shirts, to listen to country music. There was nothing pretentious about him; he seemed to know what really mattered in life and he was not embarrassed to express it. He had a gift for accepting people for who they were and for encouraging them to enjoy just being themselves. Jason often saw what needed doing and did it, long before anyone noticed. One summer day, Cathy decided on the spur of the moment to have a barbeque that same evening. Jason spent an eternity in the backyard, helping Keith to erect and �grey tape� and then re-erect the screen tent, while the bugs swarmed around them. Then he and Nick L spent ages barbequing for the crowd of 15, outside the protection of that screen tent! When it was over, there he was in the kitchen cleaning up. It wasn�t until later that I found out how much he hated mosquitoes and doing dishes! He wasn�t trying to show off - he just saw what needed doing and did it. He and Catherine put the snow tires on one of our vehicles; he and Keith put the snow tires on the other. He helped cut, carry, erect and decorate the Christmas tree. He had noticed that we had not yet put up our Christmas lights; he told his mom he had a secret plan to bring over lights on the weekend to solve that. I�m not trying to say that Wilson was perfect. He liked his room a mess, he hated doing dishes and he probably bugged his sister. He didn�t love doing homework and he loved to drive around town aimlessly. Wilson was also a merciless tease! He had such a twinkle in his eye when I needed his help to change the clock in my car or to battle my computer or when I showed him that the doorknob that Cathy had installed was put in backwards. I can still hear his voice last July as they teased each other in our van during the six-hour drive to International Music Camp. They teased about everything- whose radio station was better, whose favourite stuffed animal was better, even whose childhood bedtime song was better! My best memory of Jason is actually a conversation that I had with Cathy last summer. She and I had taken the day to go to the city and, on the way back I started �pumping� her for information about her friends. Casually I asked, �What do you think are the three things that are most important to�?� As I named different friends, she would answer, �school marks, music, friends, boys, girls, the telephone, his car, golf, etc�. Then I casually asked, �and what about Jason?�, expecting an answer such as �his snowmobile, his family, me, computers, and music." She answered, �Doing what God wants him to do�! After I caught my breath, I asked �and what else?� She said, �That�s it. For him there�s only one thing, because he wants everything else to be part of his relationship with God.�� Jason encouraged Catherine to join Youth group about a year ago. What a special gift! The last few months I walked around constantly with a deep joy in my heart, watching these two young people grow in their faith and in their love for each other. As I arrived home each day to find his car in front of our house, I always had such a warm feeling. I was actually quite disappointed if it were not there! We felt truly blessed to see our daughter in such a healthy, happy relationship. We have raised three children through their teen years and, like many homes, ours has often been filled with our teens� friends. Jason was like no other. Jason seemed to have such a capacity for genuine caring! He was only 16 and yet he is one of the most observant, compassionate people I have known. He lit up our home with his smile and his quiet, loving support. Jason lived life to the fullest. Whether it was sports, playing the trumpet, drama, "Reach for the Top", Youth group, computers, cars, snowmobiles, or a song to sing, Wilson gave his all- and loved every moment. As capable as he was in all these areas, it is not his skills for which we remember him. We remember his love of the dance: his enthusiasm, his humour, his gorgeous smile, his willingness to help and his compassion. Jason was a special young man and we will always remember him. �May today there be peace within you. May you be content knowing that you are a child of God. Let His presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, and to bask in the sun.�
Wow! There are so many memories with Wilson. I guess my favorite were of the bike trips and Band trips/concerts. He always had a way of making everyone feel like they were just as important as anyone else. I'm sure we all remember when Mike, Jay, and me all played the last post in the hallways on Remembrance Day. Weren't we good? Actually Wilson was the only one that could actually hit the notes. (Sorry Mike) Anyway I will always remember Wilson, He was such an important part of each and every one of our lives. We love You Wilson!!! Linny
