November 8, 2014
November 8, 2014
Briean remembers:
Chris and I didn’t get to see each other often because of the distance from Nova Scotia to Ontario, but I do remember one summer in particular where he and his family had come to visit. My favorite memories of Chris came out of that summer.
Shortly after Chris and his family had arrived, the grandkids all showed up to visit with them at our grandparents’ house. There were a lot of grandkids, and since they were there for the day, they had to be fed. Nanny got a bit overwhelmed, because she didn’t expect the masses that day. Stepping out front (probably to escape from the noise we were making) so she could think, Chris noticed that she was stressing about how to feed us all with all our separate likes and dislikes. Stepping out to stand with her, he said to her, “If you are worrying about feeding us, don’t! I am taking care of dinner tonight.” And, he did. He found out what everyone liked on their pizza, ordered it, and paid for it with the money he’d been banking from the job he worked at after school and on weekends. And, he made sure to meet the delivery guy outside, so Nanny couldn’t try to pay for the meal. I always remembered that about Chris—it was kind, it was generous and he did it in a way that made it fun for everyone.
Another memory from that summer was of him and my older sister, Candace. Sometimes, Candace would feel a bit excluded because she wasn’t actually related to anyone there, except for her brother and sisters. When she felt the distance, she would sit quietly by herself. Now Chris didn’t know why she was sitting by herself, he just didn’t like that she didn’t appear to be having fun. And, I don’t think it ever occurred to him that there was any kind of separation outside of the time and distance between visits. So, he simply plops himself beside her on the couch, and he says, “So, I hear you like rap. I’m going to show you what real rap sounds like!” It was fun to watch and it was hilarious to listen to them, as the two of them sat there trading songs back and forth like they were duelling.
The last particularly clear memory I have of Chris is of him gathering all of the younger kids together, myself included, and announcing that he was taking us all to the store to buy us a treat. With the help of his sister, Lisa, he managed to walk us there and back—keeping us all in one piece—and he made it seem like a fun adventure! He wasn’t asked to take us. He simply did it because he wanted to make us happy. He took joy in our happiness, and he enjoyed spending time with us. I don’t know many teenage boys who would have thought of the needs of the little kids, never mind take pleasure from their excitement and happiness.
The best thing about Christopher is that even though we did not see each other very often, or even know a great deal about one another, he made sure to put as much of himself into the small amount of time we had together as he could. So much so, that some of my favourite childhood memories came from one summer, when my cousin, Chris, came to visit.
You still make me smile Chris,
Love Briean :-)
Chris and I didn’t get to see each other often because of the distance from Nova Scotia to Ontario, but I do remember one summer in particular where he and his family had come to visit. My favorite memories of Chris came out of that summer.
Shortly after Chris and his family had arrived, the grandkids all showed up to visit with them at our grandparents’ house. There were a lot of grandkids, and since they were there for the day, they had to be fed. Nanny got a bit overwhelmed, because she didn’t expect the masses that day. Stepping out front (probably to escape from the noise we were making) so she could think, Chris noticed that she was stressing about how to feed us all with all our separate likes and dislikes. Stepping out to stand with her, he said to her, “If you are worrying about feeding us, don’t! I am taking care of dinner tonight.” And, he did. He found out what everyone liked on their pizza, ordered it, and paid for it with the money he’d been banking from the job he worked at after school and on weekends. And, he made sure to meet the delivery guy outside, so Nanny couldn’t try to pay for the meal. I always remembered that about Chris—it was kind, it was generous and he did it in a way that made it fun for everyone.
Another memory from that summer was of him and my older sister, Candace. Sometimes, Candace would feel a bit excluded because she wasn’t actually related to anyone there, except for her brother and sisters. When she felt the distance, she would sit quietly by herself. Now Chris didn’t know why she was sitting by herself, he just didn’t like that she didn’t appear to be having fun. And, I don’t think it ever occurred to him that there was any kind of separation outside of the time and distance between visits. So, he simply plops himself beside her on the couch, and he says, “So, I hear you like rap. I’m going to show you what real rap sounds like!” It was fun to watch and it was hilarious to listen to them, as the two of them sat there trading songs back and forth like they were duelling.
The last particularly clear memory I have of Chris is of him gathering all of the younger kids together, myself included, and announcing that he was taking us all to the store to buy us a treat. With the help of his sister, Lisa, he managed to walk us there and back—keeping us all in one piece—and he made it seem like a fun adventure! He wasn’t asked to take us. He simply did it because he wanted to make us happy. He took joy in our happiness, and he enjoyed spending time with us. I don’t know many teenage boys who would have thought of the needs of the little kids, never mind take pleasure from their excitement and happiness.
The best thing about Christopher is that even though we did not see each other very often, or even know a great deal about one another, he made sure to put as much of himself into the small amount of time we had together as he could. So much so, that some of my favourite childhood memories came from one summer, when my cousin, Chris, came to visit.
You still make me smile Chris,
Love Briean :-)
