When I started cultivating ideas for a Blog, most of my thoughts centered on discussion on my favorite sports teams. When it comes to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, we can take the tiniest tidbit of info and turn it into a mountain of topics. Who the starting quarterback will be is usually at the top of the list. Long winters make every morsel of Rider info welcome news at this time of the year. The Rider message boards continue to fire away as a host of us “so-called” armchair GM’s weigh in on every coaching and management decision. Yes, the Riders are a way of life here in the Land of Living Skies. Over time we have seen just how the fortunes of our team are tied to how the province is ticking along, and vice versa. Really though, there has to be more to life than sports. Isn’t there? Well, I’d like to think that this “place” is going to be a place that I can not only discuss the fortunes/hardships of my teams, but also share some joy, a lot of laughs, some sports tidbits, discussion about great friends and friendships and of course the important things in life such as my family.
I’ve never been one to run and write my thoughts down. But, perhaps I’m getting older and I’m writing them down so I can read them when I’ve suddenly forgot about what I’ve been up to….. I kid my mom from time to time that she has “Sometimers”….sometimes she remembers telling me things and sometimes she doesn’t. Perhaps that apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Recent difficult times in our family have kept me awake sometimes, long into the night. When the health of those you know and love start to decline, it takes a toll on you emotionally and physically. To say the least, 2008 was a trying year in our family. The loss of my Father-in-Law to cancer, my wife’s grandma and my aunt’s ongoing battle with cancer has put life into perspective. Now my dad is battling cancer as well. He’ll beat it though. He’s tough!
Lately I’ve been thinking that at this very moment in my life, this blog may have more of a Therapeutic value than an informative one. My intention for this blog is to share my experiences and the many friendships I’ve made over the years. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by many great and unique people. I’ll get into those experiences a little later. But for now, I’ll begin this Blogging Journey with an experience that I just had today…..
........Each one of us has felt the joy of Love. For some, it’s in your married life or children or grandchildren. Perhaps your relationship is with a pet. It certainly doesn’t have to be physical. Maybe it’s the shiny car in the garage with the slammin stereo. Maybe it’s sitting in a boat, kibitzing with friends while your line is in the water. No matter what “it” is, we’ve all felt “it”.
Almost 16 years ago, I met the Love of my life. Kim is a great girl that has turned out to me my wife for the past….oooh…almost 12 years. She’s a wonderful lady so full of care and compassion. Truly, Kim has the kindest of hearts. She comes by it honestly. She’s a great mother and a talented cook…….I know I’m spoiled. When we met, I just knew that she was the one. We met on the September long weekend of 1993 while both participating at the 1993 Western Canadian Fastpitch Championships in Brandon. As I said before, we just knew this relationship was one worth working on. Many conversations involved “kicking the tires” about marriage. By Christmas, she had decided I needed extra companionship when she couldn’t be with me. I think it was her way to get me to work on my nurturing skills. Don’t tell her I said that though. One December night while we were watching a movie, she said “I’ll be right back”. I remember it like it was yesterday. She disappeared upstairs and was back momentarily. She came down to the bottom of the stairs and said “close your eyes”! Around the corner comes this awkwardly bounding blob of black fur. Complete with a red bow on his head. A puppy. Kim got me a puppy for Christmas. Not just a puppy, but one with character. Over the next few days of our lives together I discovered how much of a Character he really was. This little black bundle was now known as NORM. He was Norm; named after…yup you guessed it, Norm Peterson of Cheers fame. This Norm also liked his Suds!
We became the Best of Friends. We went everywhere together. He traveled well. I would load up the car and he and I would make regular 4 hour trips to Weyburn to visit Kim during the summers. He also established himself in his favorite perch as we jumped into my Honda Prelude for many journeys. He had it all figured out. Into the back seat and bounce around to the driver’s window. Now the Prelude wasn’t a big car so…..he would stand with his back feet on the back seat and his front feet on the arm rest of the driver’s door. This would have him situated where he could either rest his chin on the door with an open window or my favorite, with his chin resting on my shoulder as he watched the country go by.
He quickly found a way into everyone’s hearts. There’s one thing about Norm you should know. It was only fitting that since Kim and I had met playing ball, that one of his first toys would be a ball. A green hard rubber ball would be his toy of choice. It too went EVERYWHERE that Norm went. He even carried it. I didn’t have to. In the car (which meant rolling around under the front seat), out for long walks. That was a sight to see. You just have to picture him trotting down the block with a ball in his mouth and his tongue hanging out the side. He was majestic and proud. It went to bed with him. He brought it onto the couch. He couldn’t go anywhere or do anything without that ball. He even had to eat with it. No matter where I was in the house, I knew when Norm was eating. All I could hear was….bounce, bounce…..crunch, crunch, crunch…..bounce…..crunch, crunch. Inevitably you would hear the hustle of his claws chasing the ball across the kitchen floor if he let it get away from him.
My intention of this particular blog entry was not to be long but, if you knew Norm, a short entry wouldn’t do him justice.
Over the years, Norm has been a constant source of love, tears, laughs and enjoyment. Kim and I married in 1997 and soon kids were on the way. Kim and I often talked about how Norm was going to react to strangers living in HIS house. Well, we discovered that his keen sense of hearing still existed. A newborn bathing usually elicited screams, howls and wailing. And the baby cried too. Whenever the baby cried, Norm would jump 3 feet in the air…..so concerned for the welfare of the child. This usually was also accompanied by him howling at the moon until someone would lower the baby down to his level so he could sniff and smell and lick the baby to ensure she was safe. A TRUE watchdog that cared and looked out for everyone in the house.
To know Norm was to love him. Norm could make you putty in his hands. With the tilt of his head, he'd have you oohing and ahhing. He came to be quite the performer and trickster. A smart little guy, you could teach him a new trick and he had it down pat shortly. He would dance for treats and do all the regular stuff so to "speak". He could even smile on command.
Years went by and Norm made several trips to the Vet. We thought he was half cat and he was using up the lives left, right and center. The usual stuff, him eating things he shouldn’t be eating. Sudden illness followed by frantic feelings of “Oh no, this can’t be happening”! Bladder stones and an accidental poke in the eye with a zipper on a jacket would land him in the vet for another expensive visit on separate occasions. Sudden, shall we say, “explosive” incidents during the night on the bedroom rug. Each time we thought this could be it. Amazingly though, after a healthy vet bill, he always pulled through.
Time went by and of course it started to catch up with him. He started to turn grey everywhere……under his chin, around his eyes, around his mouth and on the pads of his feet. Long walks with his ball turned into short walks due to his arthritis. The cold January and February winds would have him standing on 3, and sometimes 2 feet as he waited for someone to pick him up. He was still the man of the house. However, he started to lose his hearing and just wasn’t himself any more. This little guy celebrated his 15th Birthday in October of 2008.
Which brings us to this week…..Norm’s normally voracious appetite had been waning recently. At 15 and a half, he had slowed right down. His weight had been dropping and there was the feeling that it wasn’t going to change. Norm had earned our respect and no matter what was to become, he wasn’t going to be a pin cushion. With heavy hearts, we knew that the tough little bugger was struggling.
So, today on the toughest of days, Norm’s journey with us here on this Earth ended. He passed away peacefully this morning just the way he should have, resting in Kim’s arms. Kim presented Norm to me some 15 and a half years ago and today he went to sleep in her arms.
I write this entry with a heavy heart, tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. Norm brought so much unconditional love into our hearts each and every day. We all felt “it”. He may no longer be at the door to greet us when we get home, but, I know he will be waiting at the Gates to greet us when we get to the next stage of our journey. We love you and we’ll miss you. Thanks little Buddy. You were the Best of friends……….
Years went by and Norm made several trips to the Vet. We thought he was half cat and he was using up the lives left, right and center. The usual stuff, him eating things he shouldn’t be eating. Sudden illness followed by frantic feelings of “Oh no, this can’t be happening”! Bladder stones and an accidental poke in the eye with a zipper on a jacket would land him in the vet for another expensive visit on separate occasions. Sudden, shall we say, “explosive” incidents during the night on the bedroom rug. Each time we thought this could be it. Amazingly though, after a healthy vet bill, he always pulled through.
Time went by and of course it started to catch up with him. He started to turn grey everywhere……under his chin, around his eyes, around his mouth and on the pads of his feet. Long walks with his ball turned into short walks due to his arthritis. The cold January and February winds would have him standing on 3, and sometimes 2 feet as he waited for someone to pick him up. He was still the man of the house. However, he started to lose his hearing and just wasn’t himself any more. This little guy celebrated his 15th Birthday in October of 2008.
Which brings us to this week…..Norm’s normally voracious appetite had been waning recently. At 15 and a half, he had slowed right down. His weight had been dropping and there was the feeling that it wasn’t going to change. Norm had earned our respect and no matter what was to become, he wasn’t going to be a pin cushion. With heavy hearts, we knew that the tough little bugger was struggling.
So, today on the toughest of days, Norm’s journey with us here on this Earth ended. He passed away peacefully this morning just the way he should have, resting in Kim’s arms. Kim presented Norm to me some 15 and a half years ago and today he went to sleep in her arms.
I write this entry with a heavy heart, tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. Norm brought so much unconditional love into our hearts each and every day. We all felt “it”. He may no longer be at the door to greet us when we get home, but, I know he will be waiting at the Gates to greet us when we get to the next stage of our journey. We love you and we’ll miss you. Thanks little Buddy. You were the Best of friends……….
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