Remembering those we never knew

James has been asking a lot about war the past few days. I know they have been talking about it in school as Remembrance day is drawing near. Over dinner tonight, James asked if we had a 10 great grandpa that went to war. I told him that he had a two great grandpa that went to war. He gave me a surprised face. I asked him if he wanted to see a picture and he enthusiastically said yes. So I went and got out  my collection of family stuff about the war and showed him the picture of his Great Great Grandpa Neil Snow Forsyth, all dressed up in his uniform and another one of him standing with his war horse. I told him that he had served in WWI.

"In Canada?" he asked.
"Not right here in Canada, but he was fighting in the war to keep Canada safe" I told him.
Under those pictures was another picture, James asked if that was Neil too, I told him that it was Neil's son Rex. I told him how Rex was a navigator on a fighter plane in WWII. And that his plane was shot down.
"So he didn't make it home alive?" He asked.
"No, buddy, he didn't." I responded.
And with that he burst in to honest to goodness sad tears. My poor boy was heart broken over somebody he has only seen in a black and white photo. He made me cry too. And when I had gained some composure, I tried to explain to him that yes indeed it is sad, but that it is happy too, because Rex cared so much about other people, people he had never met before, and people who weren't even born yet, like James, that he went to war to keep us safe, and he was willing to give his life so that James would never have to know what war really was. Yes, it's sad, I told him, but that is why it is so important to go to remembrance day ceremonies, to sing songs, and to wear poppies. So that we can remember them and thank all those who went to war so that we could live in this beautiful country were we are safe and free.

My heart overflows with gratitude for these great men, and so many more who have given so much so that my kids have the pleasure of now living in this wonderful land.

The day I became Mom

Fourteen years ago I took my first steps on a journey that would change me for the better. At 2:28am a precious baby girl was laid on my chest all covered in goo, and she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. In an instant I became Mom and I was in love. I'll never forget those moments...actually days, that we spent in the hospital waiting for her to arrive. The anticipation, the anxiety, the exhaustion. I'll never forget the feeling I had as the words were shouted "it's a GIRL!", I had been convinced we'd have a boy. But there she was, this perfect beautiful baby girl. Life changed forever in those early morning hours. Now look at her! She is smart, and beautiful, and clever, and talented, and self driven, and caring, and just simply amazing! Happy birthday Kathryn Love Court!

The good life

I'm sitting here by the last lingering coals of the fire at the end of this 40th birthday of mine, and feeling very contented. Life is good. I've got 5 great kids, an amazing husband, an awesome family and the best friends anyone could ask for. Our house is small and cozy, our yard is big enough to play in, grow a garden and have a fire. We live in a quiet town full of great people. We try to live a simple life and surround ourselves with the best people. I think we have done a pretty good job. Forty isn't so bad when I look at all I have gained over the years.
If you need me, I'll be over here, by the fire, living the good life.

A way with words

I walked in to my room to find this poem on my pillow. Kathryn had made it for the Royal Canadian Legion literacy contest. It reads

Through their eyes

They see horror and grief.

Deep in their hearts

They feel alone and abandoned.

In their minds

They think of their life before,

And what it will be after.

They feel pain

Some physical but ten times more emotional.

They risked

Their lives for the millions living in their country.

We can not

Imagine what they went through.

We will not

Forget the hope that they gave to us.

By Kathryn Court

This girl seriously has a way with words. The poems she writes often bring me to tears. Today she learned that this poem earned her second place in the literacy contest of the Foremost branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

I forgot how it hurts

I forgot what it feels like to know that someday very soon you will have to say good bye to someone you love so very dearly. I forgot how it starts in your chest and grows until it continues up thru the tightness of your throat  and into your head. I forgot how it begins to swell there, until you feel its pressure between your ears and behind your eyes. I forgot how then the tears come and with the tears that pressure is released, but that very real pain remains.
I forgot how it hurts. After all it's been nearly 20 years since I have had to say good bye to someone that I love this much. I forgot. But I remember now.

A few weeks ago, my 88 year old grandpa was diagnosed with cancer on his lungs, the type of cancer that is commonly associated with exposure to asbestos. Grandpa was a carpenter all his life. The cancer is very aggressive and there isn't anything to be done but to keep him comfortable. When I first got the news, I had a good cry, but I knew that grandpa would be at peace with this diagnosis. I knew that he was ready to move on to the next life, a new adventure. I knew that grandma would also be at peace with this, she's been near death a few times herself and every time she has been ready to go, but it hasn't yet been her time to leave us. My grandparents have been a perfect example of faith. They know death is not the end, just a door to the next step to becoming more like our Father in Heaven. So I was at peace, my biggest fear was watching him deteriorate as the cancer took over his body.
 I've been there before. When I was 20 years old, my grandpa Paxman was near the end of his long battle with cancer. I had watch over the years as the cancer had turned my strong farmer grandpa, into a frail old man. Watched as it ate away at him until it made him look much older than his 72 years. Watched as I sat beside his hospital bed. Watched as it caused him to writhe in pain just days before he was finally released from his mortal frame. I watched, and I cried, and I prayed that he could just be released from this awful pain. I watched, but never touched. I watched, but never reached out my hand to just hold his. And all these twenty years, I have wished I had done differently. I have wished that as I sat there watching, I had not let the fear I felt keep me from holding him one last time.
And here I find myself again, watching the cancer transform my strong cowboy grandpa into a feeble shell of a man. My fear now is that he will be gone before I get a chance to sit by his side and hold his hand one more time. I keep telling myself sooner rather than later will be better. The less he has to be in pain, the better. I keep telling myself, but myself keeps wanting just one more visit. One more chance to hold him. One more opportunity to tell him that I love him. One more moment to hear his amazing stories. One more memory created. One more...Oh how it hurts to think about saying good bye.

The girls that never quit

This year Kathryn has the chance to be playing up with the grade 9 girls basketball team. She is the only one of her kind in grade 8 who plays ball. Last year she had to play down with the grade sixes, and that was a rough year with little growth and development. You may remember my post about the Raymond tournament from last year. But this year she is back playing with the older girls and she has grown so much!

Last weekend we played at the Chinook High School grade 9 basketball tournament in Lethbridge. We have a small team of 8 girls. I had no idea what to expect from these bigger city teams. But I think what surprised everyone the most was what they didn't know to expect from our little rural school team. Our first game was against Rundle Collage, which I am told is a private school from Calgary. It was a fast paced game and once our our girls new what they were like, they were able to control the game and won 78-33. Our next game was against the hosting team. It was a pretty evenly matched game and the score bounced back and forth between the two teams, but once again in the end our girls were able to pull off the win, but only by about 10 points. Winning this game put our girls in the finals against Cardston. One of our players had injured her foot in the earlier game and was unable to play. But that didn't stop them. I don't think either team was ever more than 6 points ahead. Regulation time ended in a tie and it was off to overtime. To add to the pressure, the Cardston boys team had just finished on the other court and all of them and their fans that had been watching came to cheer on the Cardston girls. It was LOUD! But that didn't stop our girls. They battled to the end pulling off the win! It was the most intense game I have watched in a long time. It was awesome for the girls.

Fast forward to this weekend where our girls played in the Myers/Barnwell tournament. We had two girls out with injuries, so we came into the tournament with only 6 girls on the bench. We played LCI first and that didn't go so well. We lost by about 30 points. Our next game was against Seven Persons and we were able to control that game and pull out the win. Our Saturday game was against Myers. It was an intense battle again, Myers held the lead by no more than about 10 points. And then came the fourth quarter. We were in foul trouble. The Ref's had been pretty tough on us. One of our girls had fouled out so we didn't have any subs. We narrowed the gap by just a few points. Shortly into the quarter, another one of our girls fouled out, so we were playing 4 on 5. We held on and wouldn't let them pull any farther ahead. About half way through, another girl fouled out, so now we are playing 3 on 5. And yet we kept the score within just a couple of points and even pulled ahead. At the very last minute of the game we were down to just 2 players, Kathryn and one other. But these girls just don't stop. We even had the Magrath team cheering for us. The game was lost by one point, 50-49. How many teams can say they did that? Many of the fans in the stands gave our girls a standing ovation for their super human efforts. They didn't come away with the championship, but they certainly didn't have anything to be ashamed of. I'm sure these girls were just as pumped, if not more so, after this game than they were after winning the championship last weekend.

This is one killer basketball season. We are so lucky to have such a great coach working with our girls! He has certainly taught them to be confident in their play and to never give up! He is always positive on the bench and always seems to be smiling, and looks like he is having the time of his life out there along with our girls.

Fake Santa

On the way home from our ward Christmas party the following conversation was had
James "that Santa was a fake!"
Mom "maybe, but Santa has lots of helpers. "
James "yeah, like elves, but that Santa was a fake."
Mom: "How do you know?"
J: "because that Santa had a white beard, the real Santa has a grey beard."
M: "I thought Santa had a white beard."
J: "oh, well, the real Santa was at the place where we get our teeth cleaned." (The dentist office is located in the town hall building, where the town Christmas party is held)
M: "How do you know he was the real Santa?"
J: "because he had a curly beard. This Santa just had a wavy beard."

So there you have it.  The Santa expert has spoken. Santa has a curly grey beard, and visits the kids at the Milk River town hall.