And the Angel Danced and Cheered

It has been a while since I have posted. Mainly because life seemed to have gotten away from me.  Busy was just the tip of the iceberg...unexpected surprises both good and bad knocked at my door.

For two, a wake up call....and the message was clear, time to take a step back and reflect on my crazy  busy life. It is time to make some hard decisions about my career, my responsibilities close to home and those elsewhere.

This past Sunday our angel Kelly-Anne danced and cheered as her Concordia Stingers Rugby team kept the Kelly-Anne Cup at home with an amazing win over McGill. I felt bad for McGill as I knew  that they put their heart and soul into that game....for Kelly-Anne.

In recent  months I have been working alongside Concordia University to develop a Scholarship in Kelly-Anne's name to honor a deserving female Rugby player. How wonderful it was to announce the recipient this past Sunday.

Today, fifteen years ago Kelly-Anne was attacked. Her death, left us in a tailspin of disbelief, unimaginable grief and pain. There are days when I still can't believe she is gone.

Kelly-Anne's passing has changed and shaped me into a very different women than I was before. The biggest change for me was learning that I am able to face other personal important challenges that are actually very manageable. I have also learned to not fear the unknown, as I really do not have any control and have to place my confidence in God and others that will come in my path. I have already faced the biggest challenge of my life and that obviously was Kelly-Anne's death.

This past spring I learned as many others did, that here in Canada women are being murdered by their partner one every two and a half days. These stats are  terrible. What are we going to do as a society to stop this violence against women? Do we need to invoke the death  penalty once again ? Would that make a difference? Questions I  do not have the answers for, but as a society we must reflect and talk about this.We must build a continued awareness within our schools, homes and the workplace.

Kell..I know you are dancing with your new found friend Junie Mitchell, a women that our community loved. May you  both share your stories and keep a watch on those you love here on earth.

Memory Eternal!

That Question ...Again

I wrote in July 2017, how Paige asked me why Aunt Kell died. I froze...I always said it will be her parents to tell her, not me or anyone else. Fast forward to last week and doesn't Paige ask her mother the same question. She wanted to know if  Kelly-Anne had been sick. Kim responded by saying no.  With all of Kim's grace and tact she handled the situation better than I could of. She simply said to Paige that she would tell her later on when she felt she would better understand.

Kim believes in the truth and that will be told to Paige. She will be told about the heinous crime that robbed her from her beloved aunt.

This story has been told I am sure over and over again to children left behind because of  homicides from domestic violence. These children will face life (with a lack of better words )with a richer understanding of respecting others and what it takes to build themselves into being non violent adults.

Kim does an amazing job as a mom, a school volunteer and in her teachings of first responder and bully awareness programs that she gives.

I ask myself when will it be the right time for Paige to understand our story. How will she take the story and eventually tell it to others in hopes of creating awareness within her own generation.

 I feel inspired by her now as she approaches her sixth  birthday. I have every confidence that Paige will make a difference in the world around her. This week we hung out....we laughed, we danced, and we had serious conversations about life, school, friends and her passion for space.

My hope and prayers are that her generation will be a kinder, more loving and respectful society. One that does not discriminate against women, religion, sexual orientation and color. These children are our future and  I believe it is up to good parenting and education that will guide them. Our social issues are not only North American  problems, they are world wide. I pray today for those in New Zealand who have faced  death because of their religion.

We can all do better, we can make a difference, young or old!