Adventure through Travel

I ran across this interesting piece in Thought Catalog about the benefits--and drawbacks--of travel and adventure.  It made me think about Kelly-Anne's San Diego experience.

After completing her coursework for her bachelor's degree, Kell was looking for a change of scenery.  Jobs in her chosen field of communications were hard to come by and things on the home front felt unsettled.  So left Montreal for a few months, traveling to San Diego with her dear friends Caro and Martin to live, work, and adventure.  She loved the experience and had a wonderful time.  While she was there she worked for a catering company, trained for her lifeguarding competitions, and dated a boy she met from England.
  

All in all, it was a pretty big adventure for Kell!

But then it was time to come home.

And reality came crashing down.  Everything Kell had left behind in Montreal was still exactly how she left.  Jobs in her field still weren't plentiful and things on the home front were not as she had imagined.  Good friends were moving into different stages of life (either in jobs, relationships, or school).  Readjusting to life in her hometown was not easy--I can vividly remember talking to Kell during this time period about how she hoped things would change when she was away and how disappointing she was upon her return.

Eventually, it all settled down and Kell was back into the swing of things.  But I definitely think she would have related to article posted in Thought Catalog.  

Circle of Life

Kelly-Anne loved children.  Before her death she was a teacher at a noted preschool on the West Island.  She taught them to swim.  She taught them to learn.  She taught them to adventure.  She taught them to play air guitar.  She taught them to love life.

She loved all kids--big and small--and they loved her just as much.

I think it is safe to say that there's no kid she would have loved more than her beautiful niece, Paige.

Paige pays a visit to Auntie Kell's grave.  Very sad, of course--but but beautiful as well.  Photo courtesy of Paige's mom.

Paige will grow up knowing all about her beloved Aunt Kelly-Anne.  Her mother, Kim, and her grandparents, John and Doreen, will make sure hears about Kell.  I will show her the messages Kell wrote to our future kids in my yearbook.  We will make sure Paige knows what Kell looked like, what she acted like, what she believed in, what motivated her, and how much she would have loved her beautiful little niece.

They'll tell her stories, show her photos, teach her lessons, and honor her memory.  And that's the way it should be.  It is important to speak of the dead.  They should not be forgotten and it is the duty of the living to make sure that is so.

I believe we should also pray for the dead and I have not forgotten Kelly-Anne in my prayers these last ten years.

If you aren't sure how to pray for the dead.  Here's a pretty good start.  From Catholic Online.

God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives,
and by Your command we return to dust.

Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,
their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family,
relatives and friends,
and for all the dead known to You alone.

In company with Christ,
Who died and now lives,
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,
where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family,
to sing Your praise forever and ever.

Amen. 

Summer Lovin'

Kell and Kim after and evening of adventuring in Montreal.

Another summer has rolled around and it is hard to believe we've reached 2014--the tenth anniversary of Kell's death.

So much has changed in all of our lives.  And throughout it all we've missed Kelly-Anne.  She would have rejoiced in the good things and mourned the bad things and been there to support her family and many friends.

We've all found ways--big and small--to keep her memory alive.

As we head toward the tenth anniversary of Kell's death, please stay tuned for a series of posts that try to honor her memory in the best way I know how.