Part of Life

Thanks to Alysa for posting this photo on David's facebook. This is from last weekend when we went to Rimby and feasted with Alysa's family.

Today I'm happy to report it is sunny out in Rosebud. Much as I love the new snow that fell, I also love change and it's great to see the green grass again.

Yesterday I had a sad thing happen where Belinda and I spotted a kitten that had been run over by a big truck right at the four way stop. I stood in the middle of the highway directing two other semis around the poor thing while Belinda went and got a bag and some gloves. The truck-drivers were kind once they saw what I was doing and made wide turns for once instead of cutting through the middle of the crosswalk with their hind wheels.

Then Belinda came and got the kitty up and we went and buried it. I had to bury it in the earth. I couldn't stand the thought of it just being thrown into a dumpster in a plastic bag. The poor thing's skull was crushed beyond recognition. I still don't know who's it was. So tiny.

I've had to think about death recently. Well, I've been thinking about death quite a lot anyway, but this past week I've had to think about other's deaths.

Jeff Heberling, a young farmer down the road died suddenly of a heart attack. His wife Laura co-manages our Mercantile restaurant.

And then I learned recently that Lloyd Nicholson died suddenly. Lloyd was our musical director back in Chemainus for the two person musical "I Do! I Do!" (That's what all the other pictures are from. Can you pick out the smiling man in each one? OK the top one is David.)

Lloyd was an amazing piano player. I say it was a two person musical, but that's not true really, with Lloyd behind the scrim it sounded like a 12 piece orchestra the way he'd fill out the score (on an inadequate piano, at that.) Lloyd was so passionate about musicals! We loved him.

I remember he even came out to Rosebud the summer of '06 and saw Joseph... with his family. He cared deeply for his parents and they came out with Lloyd from Calgary for the whole experience. Lloyd didn't tell us he was coming, but we visited after the show. Strange. I remember distinctly thinking of Lloyd during that particular performance. When I saw him afterwards it was like: "of course you're here." (That never happens.)

I'm terribly sad about Lloyd. Something in me senses he wasn't done.

I remember another day when I went to Vancouver from Chemainus to see U2 in concert. The night before I had gone to see Lloyd's "The Music Man" which he directed. I knew I was in for great storytelling the moment the orchestra started the overture and boys came running in from all corners of the theatre to watch the brass section with glee and admiration: brilliant.

The next day, I met with Lloyd and he bought our lunch (a bucket of prawns) as we talked theatre. Very inspiring.

Then we sort of lost touch.

Lloyd was not a computer guy.

But he was a Music Man and I miss him.

God, I don't want to take too many more deaths right now, please.

But I know they are part of life.