Getting through the end of this school year was tough on all of us. Kate came home the last day and retrieved Dijon (Nora’s teddy bear) to cuddle on the couch.
We received gifts and notes from Nora’s class, reminding us that they too were thinking of her at this time. They also sent home messages and a card at Christmas time; both were very thoughtful because they remind us that she is still with the class ‘in spirit’ as they celebrate these milestones without her…
Saturday we went to our 2nd ‘Butterfly Picnic’ put on by SickKids for families of children who died from cancer or blood related issues. This year some friends came along, and we also sat next to Kate’s little friend Oliver from Lighthouse, and his family.
Then on Sunday we did a round trip on the bus to Camp Ooch Muskoka. This was the first time that Ooch held a family day at camp, and Kate REALLY wanted us to all go. We had been there before when we picked up Nora 2 years ago, and Kate last year. Being up there yesterday I felt close to Nora, walking the paths that she walked and participating in the activities she talked about. We arrived at lunch time and had a meal in the dining hall that both girls had raved about, then we did pottery, canoed, did some woodwork, and ended with a sing-a-long at the campfire by the lake.
It’s the last week of school and then Kate will be back up at Camp Ooch for a week of overnight camp. Tonight (Monday) Kate has a “date” with Maya, and tomorrow is baseball. We discovered at Camp Ooch yesterday that one of Kate’s teammates is also part of Camp Ooch, as he was there with his family.
June continues to be a busy and emotionally difficult month. Kate had her Camp Erin Reunion on Tuesday night at a Blue Jays game where she hung out with her new friend Brooklyn. I would put up a picture but it’s on my cell phone, which is currently broken…
Wednesday was her last Lighthouse until September, and we lit a candle for Nora and she wrote a message to her on a memory stone.
Today was the Grade 6 graduation ceremony at Shirley St. School. Kate bravely presented the Nora Parker Student Excellence Award to this year’s recipient, Abby Brown.
Tonight Kate has her ballet performance as part of the “Let’s Dance Festival”.
The end of the school year has been relentless. Of course all of the activity is exciting for Kate but the layers of memories from all the events has magnified Nora’s absence. June 12th has to have been the most punishing, as it was both the school’s annual track meet (Run, Jump, Throw) and their end-of-year BBQ. Kate wanted/needed us there for both of these, so I took the first and Dylan did the latter.
Ms. B-D made sure that Kate got ‘Nora’s jersey’ for the track meet. Nora went when she was in Grade 3, but it was when her tumour had grown again so her balance and vision were not good. No matter the circumstance, both girls really enjoyed the event, and as always gave it their best. I was in tears the entire day, both times…
Kate had a PA day so we used the long weekend to go to the cottage. Before we left, she wrote “I LOVE NORA” in our backyard and blew bubbles onto it.
At the cottage, Kate & I got up early on Saturday and went paddling out on the lake and over to Bon Echo rock to visit the pictographs (Mishipeshu, and Nora’s favourite, Nanabush). The bugs – black flies & mosquitos – were horrendous, and even followed us out on the kayaks. Kate used the small microscope from Poppy for a close inspection of the bugs we caught inside.
She was covered in bug bites when we returned to Toronto. Biljana in the school office asked what happened and she explained “I used to be snack time, and Nora was the main meal. Now I’m the main meal…”.
Every spring since Nora was 4, there was one evening a week of house league soccer at Souraren Park. Kate also started playing soccer when she was 4, but was never quite as into it as Nora. So last year we didn’t sign up for any soccer, and Kate tried out baseball lessons at Trinity Bellwoods instead. This year, Kate signed up for house league baseball at Souraren on Tuesday nights. She’s been enjoying it but it has been very hard being back at the park (especially since unfortunately Nora’s age group is there playing soccer on the same night).
Last game night, we found a beautiful purple iris petal, and Kate decided it was for Nora and put it up in the tree that her and Nora would climb during soccer games.
Kate was invited back to ‘grief camp’ (Camp Erin; run by Dr. Jay’s) because there were a few cancellations. Normally kids only go once, as the camp is for all kids that have lost a parent or sibling and they just don’t have the capacity.
At camp, the kids are kept busy from early morning till way past bedtime with both fun and grief-focussed activities and ceremonies. She was so excited to go and on return was still excited and full of stories. And emotion…
After weeks of rehearsals, we finally got to see the Camp Ooch version of Cinderella. Kate held the play together as the Narrator, and also acted the part of Suzy the Mouse.
It was wonderful to watch the excitement of the cast and how well they all worked together and supported each other.
I started my second Mother’s Day without Nora the same way I started my first — shivering at the Sporting Life start line at 7am. Again, it was a fitting way to get through this day by running 10 km down Yonge St for Nora & Kate, and raising funds for Camp Ooch. My old friend Mitch ran with me and the two of us represented Nora’s Narwhals. Kate, Dylan, and my parents were at the finish line and we all went for brunch afterwards at an old favourite, Gayley’s.
We didn’t do the High Park walk and train this Mother’s Day — it was too rainy and I was way more tired this year from the run. Instead, Kate and I went over to Shirley St field and practiced baseball because her house league was starting the following Tuesday. We had a lot of fun and were happy to be in the rain because we had the ball diamond and whole field to ourselves!
Afterwards, Gramma & Poppy came over and we ordered sushi to the house.
Crane Ceremony — Kate went along with Nora’s Grade 5 class to the Meagan’s Walk opening ceremony and presented the origami cranes from Shirley Street School with Tristyn. I was out of town but heard that Kate was very happy to have participated.
Meagan’s Walk — Over 40 Nora’s Narwhals walked 5km on May 12th to SickKids hospital, with Nora in their hearts.
Nora’s Narwhals raised almost $16K for pediatric brain tumour research through individual fundraising along with many organized events:
Shirley Street bake sale, Clinton St School bake sale (by Oskar), Bookmarks (by Tristyn & friends), Nora’s Narwhals t-shirts, etc.
Thanks to everyone for participating and donating, and to Lisa & Mark for hosting a small family after-gathering.
Read more about Meagan’s Walk
We went through the motions of Easter — Aunt Jackie & Uncle Derek came up to the cottage with us, and Kate had an Easter hunt — but our hearts were missing Nora deeply.
Kate & I went on a walk (with some special ‘friends’ in her Easter basket) and saw a glowing Bon Echo rock with a golden river leading to a heart-shaped piece of ice. We also found the “NorA” that Kate & Dylan had written in sticks on the snowy hill on January 1st.
Camp Ooch kept us busy and entertained from February through April with another weekend at camp (WAC) for Kate, Bluegrass Brunch, curling with other Teomul families, a Marlies game, and a Blue Jays game.
And Kate started rehearsals for Camp Ooch’s spring musical!
Kate, Dylan and I spent Family Day weekend again just the 3 of us at the cottage. It was so hard… We were grateful to have a long weekend together and be at the cottage but at the same time it felt so empty with 1/4 of our family not there.
The lake was frozen again so we walked across it to the frozen waterfall and Bon Echo rock. This year, we did the walk because we could and should but our hearts were not in it this time. We miss Nora so terribly.
Shirley Street School held their second annual Valentine’s Day Bake Sale in Nora’s memory. All proceeds — over $2K in total — went towards Team Nora’s Narwhals fundraising for Meagan’s Walk.
Kate & I worked the bake sale all day, selling Nora’s bday Jelly and pre-orders for Nora’s Narwhals t-shirts. It was a day full of emotions for the two of us.
Later on Valentine’s day, Kate had her ears pierced. Nora had wanted her to have them pierced on the same day that she had hers done, but that was Feb 18th, which fell on Family Day this year (and the shop where Nora had hers done was closed). We thought Valentine’s day would be an acceptable alternative. I think this was Nora’s way of continuing to be Kate’s big sister, making sure that Kate got her ears pierced before she was a teenager (which is probably what would have happened if it was up to Dylan & I)…
Some beautiful and very special cookies were made for the bake sale, like these heart-shaped ‘Nora’s Narwhals’ made by Mrs. H’s daughter.
Kate again wanted to celebrate her birthday in the same manor as Nora had, so Kenzie came over for a sleepover because Tristyn slept over for Nora’s 8th. The next day, Kate’s friend Frances came over for a birthday dinner.
Kate had planted another amaryllis with Leslie in the fall, just as Nora had planted with Leslie the year before. The bud again began to open on Kate’s birthday, another gift from her sister…
Then, Uncle Glen and Aunt Kim came to Toronto and took Kate on the train to Quebec City for more birthday fun. It was VERY cold, but they had a great adventure together exploring the city, and watching Macy and her team play hockey. This was the same team that had played the Meagan’s Walk fundraiser the year before, so everyone had Nora in their thoughts.
