Greetings,

Today marks the one year anniversary of my son’s sudden passing in the mountains near Squamish, BC. This is the first mass message I have sent out since the announcement of Chris’ death, one week after his passing, and my Love Letter to Chris on his 25th birthday on November 19, 2017.

Several people have encouraged me to share what has been happening in our family’s lives; how we have been doing and the things we are learning. I have been journaling a fair amount over the past year and I am now ready to share some of what I have been writing. I plan on sending something out once per month. You have my permission to share with anyone you think might be interested. If you do not wish to receive my writings, please unsubscribe by clicking at the bottom of this email.

I wasn’t sure of what to call my writings. For the longest time, I thought I would use the title “Honouring Chris”, but I eventually came to the conclusion that although I definitely do want to honour Chris, I also want to honour my son Nick, my wife Rose Mary, and many others. Chris will be written about often, especially in this first year or so, but he won’t always be the subject of my writings. Therefore, I have decided to title my writings “Living In Faith”.

This past year has been a test of faith. Our family, especially Chris’ widow Marie, has had to faithfully walk an unknown path. Our lives have been drastically altered, dreams have been shattered, and we have had to learn to live in faith. I have personally done a lot of self reflection and kept myself very busy, possibly to avoid dwelling on the loss of Chris. Much of my business has been focused on attempting to help others, as I know doing so puts my own problems into perspective.

Thank you again, to the MANY of you who have walked alongside us during this first year of adapting to our new normal. I have come to truly appreciate every one of you who include me in a part of your life. I truly hope that my sharing will somehow help you, or someone you know.

Sincerely,
Chad

Happy 1st Birthday Christopher

September 15, 2018 is my son Christopher’s first birthday in heaven. The year has flown by. I thought it would be long and gruelling, but it hasn’t been. Please don’t misunderstand me as it has been very emotional for us. We still can’t believe Chris is gone! I cry almost daily and regularly fight the remorse of all that could have been, but my wife Rose Mary and I choose to focus on the joy and purpose we have instead.

Faith in our Creator, and His promises, has been the biggest help to Rose Mary and me in journeying through the loss of our son. Yes, we are resilient, but without our faith, this year would have been much more traumatic.

We choose not to view September 15th as Chris’ “death” day, but as the day he entered heaven…his “birth” day into eternity. This makes all the difference as we face September 15th. Yes, we will have sorrow on this one-year anniversary, but we believe Chris is more alive than ever! Some may think we are faking ourselves out with false hope, but I don’t believe so. The “Manufacturers Handbook” (the Bible) describes faith this way:

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

So, Happy 1st Birthday Christopher. We look forward to being with you again!

Chad & Chris Ekren