Windchill

[Nanook]

Re: Windchill

For sure Schultz! I think I will go over there on Wednesday and bring the Windchill necklaces. Give them a couple days to settle back into their usual routine. I will pick up a card for them too.

[Laurel]

Re: Windchill

I have not had time to read thru all the last posts ...

but - glad you got a WindChill Bead for them both ... they will cherish it I am sure.

[23JAM00]

Re: Windchill

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Nanook</div><div class="ubbcode-body">From Windchills guest book...

Friend, please don't mourn for me I'm still here, though you don't see. I'm right by your side each night and day and within your heart I long to stay. My body is gone but I'm always near. I'm everything you feel, see or hear. My spirit is free, but I'll never depart as long as you keep me alive in your heart. I'll never wander out of your sight- I'm the brightest star on a summer night. I'll never be beyond your reach- I'm the warm moist sand when you're at the beach. I'm the colorful leaves when fall comes around and the pure white snow that blankets the ground. I'm the beautiful flowers of which you're so fond, The clear cool water in a quiet pond. I'm the first bright blossom you'll see in the spring, The first warm raindrop that April will bring. I'm the first ray of light when the sun starts to shine, and you'll see that the face in the moon is mine. When you start thinking there's no one to love you, you can talk to me through the Lord above you. I'll whisper my answer through the leaves on the trees, and you'll feel my presence in the soft summer breeze. I'm the hot salty tears that flow when you weep and the beautiful dreams that come while you sleep. I'm the smile you see on a baby's face. Just look for me, friend, I'm everyplace! Author Unknown

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I've just read the news after not being on line all weekend. (((Nanook)))) Just too sad for me to think about [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70394-bawlout.gif[/img]
Your right about him having all that love in his short little life Nanook! [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70459-hugs.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70459-hugs.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70459-hugs.gif[/img]

[Nanook]

Re: Windchill

(((Nancee)))..is a sad time. I had read that quote long ago and forgot about it until someone posted it on Windchills guestbook. When I start back to working on Bucko's pages I will be putting that quote on the first page.

sigh...

[schultz]

Re: Windchill

I don't think Jeff will ever get over Windchill, Nanook. He knows exactly how you feel. Here's a post from today:

March 3rd, 11:07am: I've come to realize a big part of the reason I come here is that Windchill made us a family. We could all come here and talk about him, vent our frustrations, our sadness, our anger - and there were people who listened. You're still coming back - and so am I. And so I'll tell you what - to help in my own healing, our own healing, I'll be working on filling in the missing pieces that we never had time to finish. Posting more videos. Posting more pictures. And trying to answer some of the questions that came in. I have to leave for the Twin Cities shortly so I will work on this over time. Later in the week I have to try and give a presentation and pretend that I'm okay. I have four days to get to that point. And in the next couple of weeks I will be working on his new foundation website and as part of that I will move all of this, or at least copy it there - so that those that want to continue to be part of this family can be. Windchill lit the candle. We are determined to keep it burning. And together I hope that we can heal. I go between coherent thought and eyes burning so I can't promise I won't slide into hell for moments. But in the end Windchill went through hell and out the other side - and together so will we.

[Nanook]

Re: Windchill

Very cool Schultz! Thank you for posting this! I have been buried in computer trouble all afternoon. NOT FOR LONG THOUGH! Prayin my new unit is here in the morning.

Sounds as though he might not be around Wed. I'll give a call over there tomorrow afternoon.

Hi ho hi ho it's too the lake I go! The roads will be dry and clear now because the sun was shining all day.

[schultz]

Re: Windchill

March 3rd, 7:18pm: Last night was truly wicked. I guess the last three weeks of my life - which had been force-fed to me through a blur of coffee, adrenaline, cigars, bites of food here and there (kindly dropped off by caring people - thank you again folks), topped off by the loss of the little guy and then the emotional hammering that accompanied it all hit at once. I have no idea how Kathi has kept it up and hope it doesn't hit in the same way but I suppose a crash was inevitable. 2 Tylenol PMs and later 3 ibuprofen did nothing to alleviate the pain. I don't wish that on anybody and I hope it was a one night thing but I suppose it wasn't a one night thing to get into this shape, so perhaps wishful thinking it will be a one night reconciliation back to health.

Thursday afternoon I leave for Anoka to fix the trailer and pick up Windchill's ashes. I would guess he'll finally be back home in the late afternoon or early evening and be back where he belongs.

We've decided to open the farm up Saturday, March 8th to allow for those that were unable to say "goodbye" to the little guy to do so if they'd like. I don't know that we'll do anything more formal, such as a memorial service - I think his life has been chronicled here as we lived it and breathed it the last three weeks. We will of course have coffee and hot water for cocoa or tea on hand.

[img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70394-bawlout.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70394-bawlout.gif[/img]

[Nanook]

Re: Windchill

Poor Jeff. It sounds as though running in adreneline these past weeks is catching up with him. I sure hope he feels bettter today. I will give a call over there later this afternoon. One sad cowboy dat. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70394-bawlout.gif[/img]

[schultz]

Re: Windchill

Tru Nanook. Mi sorry for both him and Kathi. It's going to take a while to get back a normal life, if ever.

[Nanook]

Re: Windchill

Deb said he is thinking of starting a message forum. That would be very cool. I think his continuing to blog is healing for him and us too so I am glad he is still at it.

Here is a page with links to Deb's store with Windchill items...

I did order a fused glass pin from her etsy store, I can't wait to get it.

Debs Windchill pages

[schultz]

Re: Windchill

Deborah is very talented & she has some beautiful stuff over there. I might have to do a little Christmas shopping early. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img]

[schultz]

Re: Windchill

Jeff's latest entry. Bless his heart. He's having a rough time with all this. I feel so bad for him.

March 4th, 8:08am: Okay, so much for hoping it was a one night recovery. Finding I have to take it slow with just about everything - food, rest, sleep. I feel an obligation to return emails to all the kind folks who have written but that will be a long time project yet I find without Windchill to worry about in the barn, this remains a connection to him and his spirit. I realize that our roles have probably reversed - he's safe and happy and looking out for us like that deal with the horse trailer Sunday. It's just hard - maybe this is what it's like when you finally watch your children grow up and leave the nest and someday they're back to help you with your errands and threaten you with the knowledge that they'll help choose your nursing home? Right at this point I feel like so many of what were major problems before are so petty. I've mentioned before I think, while our lives may return to whatever normal is, they'll never be the same. I just find escaping that contagious little spirit of his is impossible. As I start to look at pictures and try to figure out how to create a gallery of our time with him, I'm always drawn back to that innocent face, those bright, bright eyes and how flippin' adorable he was. And it wasn't until he was laying in the trailer that we realized just how bright that star was on his forehead. I don't know if that was how it was as he lay in the barn or the result of his departure from earth but it was so brilliant. Maybe it was left as a physical reminder of the brightness his eyes had. We sure miss the little guy. I'm not sure what's worse - as an equine professional, Kathi understood more the odds and chances. I think for myself, and for others on his care team, ignorance was bliss. The odds were just a challenge we ignored. Yet we all gave our hearts to Windchill. His sweet innocence made it impossible not to, no matter how big and tough you were. I won't name names with that statement - a glance at the red eyes last weekend would have answered that. I don't think it made any of us less tough, it just made us better as human beings.

As we develop Windchill's foundation, I'm finding there's a lot of folks wanting to help as well as donate and participate in its development. I think I will need to add, at least for now, a separate link off here with notes on the organization as it's developed as well as its needs. The obvious needs at this moment are the accounting and legal and we have some folks willing to help develop it pro bono. We are exploring options for the interim - tax deductible non-profit status is a journey that requires IRS approval and that's quite a process - and to keep things moving we are exploring ideas such as affiliation with a foundation to create a Windchill Fund (we have already created a restricted fund as listed in the donation section) as well as another structure to operate under for the interim. We will keep you updated on that page, I'll try to set that up later tonight or later this week if time doesn't permit today. If you're a graphic artist and/or website developer, I'd love to hear from you on the development of a site that hopefully captures the spirit of Windchill. Thanks for caring and continuing to ask you guys - you've really helped keep our spirits up and you mean so much to all of us.

[Nanook]

Re: Windchill

[img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crybaby.gif[/img] I feel so bad for Jeff. I know full well his heartbreak. I thought Bucko was gonna live forever too.

[schultz]

Re: Windchill

Jeff's entry from last night:

March 4th, 11:53pm: I'm still in the big city (St. Paul). People go about their business and I find I'm having some trouble re-entering their world. I just don't feel like the problems that were so major before are such a big deal now. 20 days with Windchill (sounds like a good title for the book I have been thinking about writing about this) seems to have equated to a lifetime of change. I don't want to go back to what was. Windchill taught me how one step can make a difference. And the world changes in steps. I'm positive that, led by his spirit and memory, we can all change the world one step at a time. I grow more sure of that with each hour that passes since he left earth. I guess what I'm finding from all your emails is that you want to be here to walk this path together. We're grateful for that.

I am still working on the forum, a number of Windchill's friends emailed with various services and I have a programmer friend in the Twin Cities researching some options - right now getting that forum going is my priority. Clearly there are a lot of people hurting and I think we need each other to talk about these things and you need a voice as well so that it's not my meandering rambling you're forced to listen to.

[Nanook]

Re: Windchill

Thanks Schultz! [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70394-bawlout.gif[/img]