Lost Sheep;
Two words that can be referred to many different things.
The lambs left to slaughter:
Candace Derksen was a young girl full of innocence and promise when she went missing on her way home from school on November 30 1984.
Derksen's disappearance caused quite a panic within the community and and broke the hearts of family and friends. The Derksen family not only lost their daughter, but they lost peace but were out to find justice.
In this world, often finding justice is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
We live in a cynical world, where people can do some pretty awful things with little guilt and consequence, the bad guys often go free or get a lesser punishment then they deserve and the nice guys finish last.
When justice is served, it restores hope and balance in the world.
That balance was restored last Friday if even for a moment, when Mark Edward Grant who is 47 with a laundry list of priors, was convicted of second-degree murder in connection to death of Candace.
Dwight D Eisenhower once wrote:
Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin.
Now the Derksen family can begin to move forward to a richer life with that coin.
Thomas Fuller once wrote:
It is madness for sheep to talk peace with a wolf.
The thing is, there are wolves all around us, and often they disguise themselves in sheep's clothing.
To The Grave is yet another example of this; a book that unfolds the case of Erin Chorney who disappeared in Brandon back in April of 2002.
The term lost sheep can be referred to more than just the abductions and kidnappings of precious lambs that never had the chance to bring their full potential to fruition.
Maybe we are all lost sheep in a way.
We live in a world where we have advanced so far in technology but have regressed in the human condition.
Our world has become jaded, and romance is dead.
Every once in a while, when the few die hard romantics try to jump start the flat line, someone pulls the plug.
People are quick to say Life isn't like the movies or it's not a fairy tale but... why not....there was a time when art imitated life and not the other way around.
The most beautiful things in this world were built and inspired by dreamers.
People may think I am naive because I believe in the idea, that when you meet the "ONE" you just know, and all that jazz but that is a badge I will wear proudly if that is the case.
Love should be the shepherd that leads us through life, and all else should be secondary.
It takes a lot of time to figure out who we are and what we want.
Often we find ourselves running around in circles through this process. If during this time we find another, that makes us want to devote a large amount of time to figure out who they are, and share with them what we have figured out thus far, then I say follow it to the bitter end.
It boggles my mind that I even feel the way I do.
Time for a haggis moment.... a look into my inner sheep...
My parents were never the romantic type, and my dad treated my mom like crap, a lesson he learnt from his dad. My parents split up before I finished elementary school and to say it was messy would be an understatement. I was rebelling against the example that was set for me as a boy.
I knew that there were great men with better examples to follow.
Thomas Carlye once wrote:
A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge.
On the road I walked alone I learnt the lesson of empathy and is a trait I pride myself on.
My friend lost his grandmother today, my heart went out to him.
I always try to empathise in these situations. My mother's parents died when she was a girl, her family drifted apart. My father got along as well with his , about as well as he gets along with me, so I never really knew him my grampa on his side either.
His mom, my grama lives in Victoria BC, although me and my dad don't speak, I call his mom, my grama at least once every two weeks. I have aspirations of travelling the world, but when ever I get a chance to travel I find myself going to see her.
I am the only grandchild that she talks to, even my younger sis, who I love very much has never kept in touch.
Many times I find myself looking at more exotic destinations or places I would like to see, but I feel I have years for that, but am never sure how much longer I'll have her.
She deserves better than how she has been treated.
I never take for granted the connections I have, since the special ones I have, always been few and far between for me.
Whether it is girls that make the news that have gone missing, or a family member or a piece of ourselves that we've lost or maybe haven't quite yet found, it is important to be true to what your heart tells you and not your surroundings.
Herd in the ones you want close to you.
Some points of view and personal tidbits from me to Ewe.
Blah Blah Blog Sheep. Out.
Chadd, thanks for the post. You will be encouraged to know, as I am that Candice's mother has been very active in the community, particularly within the inmate community. I heard an interview on CBC this week from a 'lifer' who was profoundly affected by her. She had visited in prison, and he and others had initiated a fund in memory of Candice, as their way of giving back.
ReplyDeleteSo your relationship with your gramma makes perfect sense.