This Is The Start Of My Book.

This is the start of the book I am trying to write.  I think I am going to call it "AFTER KRISTA".  Here is a cover idea. I hope to have it done by the summer.  If you are reading this, thanks.  Unless you don't like it.  In that case don't ever talk to me again.  Just kidding of course.  I like acting like an idiot at times. (by the way, it's not really edited or anything yet, just basic right now)

Foreword

I don’t know if you are like me, but when I see a Foreword in a book, I want to just skip it and get into the chapters.  It’s like I don’t really think that it is part of the book or something.  However, I always feel guilty not reading the Foreword, so, I reluctantly start to read it and always feel better about it.  Like I actually read the book like a proper reader should.  I know that sounds a bit dumb, but that’s my brain.  I realize that the author wants me to have a background or a focus for their writing.  Some people just read the Foreword because it’s just what they do. 

 Anyway, for whatever reason you are reading this Foreword, I thank you because I want to make sure you get a couple things about me, and why I decided to write this thing.

I want you to know that I am not writing this book because I consider myself an “author”.  Even telling my friends that I was going to write a book felt weird.  I picture authors as smart people who have a great grasp of language and sort of bestow their knowledge on us. In reality they are people just like you and I that just decided to put their thoughts and stories on paper to share them.  Some are awesome, some, not so much, and I have no idea where I fit on the spectrum.  I’m pretty sure I’ll find out that out after I finish.

To say that I hope you like this book would be a strange thing to say considering the topic.  The word “like” can mean so many different things.  What I really hope is that through my sharing of my experiences in marriage, kids and rough times, that you can understand that you are not alone and that you can take comfort in that.

 

After my wife Krista passed away three years ago, I started writing thoughts that came to me, and it helped me to sort out how I wanted to deal with things that would come my way in the future.  I had to  reflect on how I had dealt with situations before Krista died and evaluate what I needed to keep and what I needed a change in perspective on.  I started writing a blog, and I wanted to flesh things out in a greater fashion.

I’m almost done the Foreword.

What I really hope you understand is this.  I do not think I know everything.  I write because I want to explore the things I want to know and these are my thoughts. The thing about thoughts is that they can change based on your experience.  The thoughts you have in the future may not be the thoughts you had 10 years, 5 years, 10 minutes ago.  These are a collection of my thoughts now, and I know I will continue to think about them as my life continues, however long that is.

1 – Where do babies come from?

On August 26^th 2009, my daughter Sophie was born.  She is third of my three children.  Jaxon was 6 and Grace was 4 at the time Soph was born.  I tell you, there is not really anything more beautiful than seeing your wife give birth.  Wait.  That’s not really true at all in one sense of the word “beauty”.  In that sense of the word, the striking/good-looking/gorgeous sense, there’s probably nothing much worse than child birth if we’re being honest.  There’s a lot going on there that wouldn’t be considered beautiful in that sense.  You know what I mean though.  I am talking about when a child is anticipated and desired.  When people take seriously the magnitude of what it means to bring another life into the world.  That is significant.  That’s when it’s a beautiful miracle.  The thing that is crazy to me about kids is all that needs to happen to have them arrive.  I’m not talking about sex either.

Krista and I met in university.  I was from Medicine Hat Alberta Canada.  Yes, my hometown is called Medicine Hat.  It stems from a battle that was fought between two native tribes on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River and when the Medicine man from the Cree tribe lost his Hat the battle was over and then the Europeans who settled there called the town Medicine Hat.  Jay Leno mentioned Medicine Hat in one of his monologues where he mocked the name, and we have the largest teepee in the world there along with about 60,000 people.  It really is a lovely city.  I suppose my description isn’t doing it justice, but that isn’t really the point of this book.

Krista was from Calgary Alberta, Canada.  It has about 1 million people.  It is home to two professional sports teams you may have heard of.  The Calgary Flames of the NHL (National Hockey League), and the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL (Canadian Football League).  It is home to the Calgary Stampede which is a pretty big deal there.  It’s a big, week-long fair that involves a rodeo, carnival games and rides, bands, and a whole bunch of people dressing up like cowboys.  Many of said cowboys like to get really hammered too.  It’s a pretty big party.  The majority of these people never dress up as cowboys again the entire rest of the year, but it unfortunately gives the impression to foreigners who visit during that time that everyone is a cowboy.  I swear, if anyone ever had a layover in Calgary and got their impression of what a Canadian was by the airport gift shop, they would think that all we did was eat maple syrup, and ride around on horses. Or bulls.

Krista and I met when we were both recruited to play basketball at the University of Lethbridge.  I’m a general science major (Biology/Chemistry/Archaeology (Physics to start, but when math turned from numbers to letters, I was out)) and she was an English major who had a minor in partying.  In fact, I’m pretty sure it was the other way around...

...and it will continue from there.  Thanks for reading the start to a book.