Natasha's Celebration of Life January 28, 2004 - August 4, 2016

Recently we uploaded Natasha’s Celebration of Life video, Liam’s friend Paul helped us add some subtitles and in the u-tube description you can click on the live links to view various part of Natasha’s Celebration of Life. Here too is a printed copy of the eulogy we did for Natasha and a picture of the letter we received from Joe Clancy – Director of the USA Secret Service (to be added soon)

Thanks to everyone who helped us to honor Natasha.

Natasha Rose Gould January 28, 2004 – August 4, 2016

Celebration Of Life

Recorded; Friday August 26th, 2016 at 2:15pm

First Alliance Church, 12345 40th Street SE, Calgary, Alberta

00:00/2:10:46  Pre-Worship, Thy Will be Done by: Hillary Scott, Never Gonna Stop this Singing by: Jesus Culture Ft. Kim Walker-Smith,  In the River by: Jesus Culture Ft. Kim Walker-Smith , He's a Good Good Father by: Chris Tomlin

15:40/  Family Processional, Song: You Make Me Brave by: Heather Thirsk, Introduction/Welcome: Pastor Ray Matheson Speaks, Song: Heaven Come by: Jen Johnson

26:49/  Video: Natasha’s Celebration of Life (Montage)

30:34/  Presentation: Janelle Mozill and Jennifer Nixon (Childhood friends)

35:33/  Presentation: Mike Gillette - Co-founder of The Truth 365

55:35/  Video: Radioactive

55:35/  Video: Tom Mitchel – Founder of the Still Brave Foundation

1:00:56/  Video: Washington TV news footage – Candle Light Vigil

1:03:03/  Video: Joe Clancy – Director of the USA Secret Service

1:07:45/  Song: This Love is Magic cover by: Justine Tyrell, Taylor Cullen, Lisa Jacobs

1:12:04/  Presentation: Jody Pereverzoff and Deidre Bailey (Calgary Connect School teachers)

1:13:32/  Video: Calgary Connect School - School friendships

1:20:47/  Pastor Ray Matheson speaks

1:33:05/  Song: It is Well by: Heather Thirsk

1:38:43/  Eulogy: Bill, Saskia and Liam (Natasha’s Parents and Brother)

1:53:43/  Natasha’s last recording singing; This Love Has Magic

1:57:12/  Prayer Invitation, Song: Just As I Am by: Heather Thirsk

2:08:31/2:10:46  Recessional

4:00pm: Reception and Enjoy Some of Natasha’s favorite treats 4:45pm: Bike Race (on location)5:45pm: Chelsea Donaldson (Natasha’s Cousin) Speaks, Butterfly Release in memory of Natasha

Eulogy

Bill

  • 2 years after Liam was born, I was beginning to accept that we would only have one child
  • The summer before Liam turned 3, on a Friday, I was thrilled to see Liam get out of diapers.  That Sunday, we learned that Saskia was pregnant
  • So much about Natasha was a little easier – her birth, she didn’t do bottles, didn’t need a soother, she slept better, we didn’t sterilize everything that fell on the floor
  • Our only concern was wondering if and when she was going to start growing hair
  • As she got older, I remember thinking that Liam was having more influence on her than we were.  She was infatuated with him.  He was her role model in so many ways
  • Later on, of course, we began to see her unique personality start to shine.  Where Liam became more involved in sport, Natasha gravitated to performing arts
  • She was kinetic – always moving and dancing.  Even in her sleep – she was hard to share a bed with
  • Even when I was mad at Natasha, it often felt more like I believed I should be mad but wasn’t really.  I could see a smile trying to find itself on her face and I often tried to hold back from laughing.  I loved her giggle.
  • Natasha said she believed God wasn’t going to let her die, that she was placed amongst kids with cancer to make a difference.  Natasha, only your body died.  You are still live in spirit and we will carry on trying to make a difference here on earth.  You did so much with the short time available to you.  It was an amazing year, but the price was too great.  We will continue to pay it forward, trying to match our efforts to the price you paid, even though we know we never can.

Saskia

  • Natasha was and is my beautiful baby girl.
  • An easy-going kid and who rarely drove me crazy, although truth be known, these past couple of years I was beginning to get a hint of what joys of parenting a teenage girl could behold and the memories we could have made.
  • Instead I will focus on the treasures of memories we have made.
  • Natasha was social and quickly made new friends.  On family trips, when she and Liam wanted to play with a group of kids, Liam would encourage Natasha to break the ice, and she always stepped up, even if she was shy, she’d do it for Liam and the anticipation of playing with new friends was all to enticing to resist.
  • Natasha loved her friends and loved bringing them together, her friends were very dear to her, and she loved you all.
  • Spending time with extended family and actively helping to make these occasions special came naturally to Natasha. She loved her Auntie Anita’s Christmas Eve gatherings, however, I’m not sure if it was because Santa was going to make a visit or if the chocolate fondue table was the highlight. Oh and she loved baking Auntie Carla’s famous Chocolate cookies, better still was baking them with Carla.
  • Natasha was sensitive to conflict and she coached her family and friends on relationship issues, of course she came by this gift quite naturally and she would often consult me the head coach. It was a privilege to share with her what I could about what makes a healthy relationship and we practiced together what we coached others, we were quick to apologize and forgive each other so we could come back to that place of harmony that she and I so valued.
  • I am grateful for her open heart. Although she never gave up teasing me about the talking stick I once and (only once) introduced into one of our rare structured family meetings, the talking stick became our inside joke, you know those inside jokes that are treasures to families, …keep making them.
  • I am sure Natasha sang while she was in the womb. Her spirit was designed to sing. She sang all the time, around the house, while climbing the tree in the back yard, in the car, everywhere and at all times possible. I teased her that she would be most happy living in a musical. I am sure as a few others have declared to me; they too are confident Natasha is is leading worship in heaven and God is truly blessed with her singing praises.
  • As parents we have memories of our kids we cling to, when we are surprised to discover something in them that you kind of knew possible but are amazed to see unravel. One of those times for me is when in her first her first year at the science school now called Calgary Connect this school that goes from grade 4 to 9. In her first year there, in grade 4 she bravely on her own sang Taylor Swift’s I’d Lie at the school talent show, … and she did really well. And the best part was watching the enjoyment and learning she got out of the experience.
  • Over the years I have helped Natasha save every story, every journal entry she ever started, yes started, she loved writing as much as she loved singing. You see she loves beginnings, endings were not as important to Natasha as starting, which when you think about it is a good life lesson, there is always a new beginning. I will pull together all her beginnings and I am sure it will be a good place to start from, a platform, a rally call, and a story of her beginnings.
  • Natasha spoke her mind – if she had a strong opinion about something, she’d say it, sometimes (often) without filters. In this last year of her life on earth, she became very powerful with her words and there are many of you here today that are personally convicted by her candour. Please keep her candour alive in your life let it be your beginning.
  • One of my beginnings will be; “be happy”, to seek joy in living, I promised Natasha that I will not curl up and die, while living here without her, instead I will seek the presence of God daily in my life, in all things, in all my relationships. I will find joy in living this new life without her, I promise you Natasha, by the grace of God I know I can and will in your honour.
  • I will miss her everyday and on that frightful day; May 01, 2015, when we were given the horrible news, later that day…Natasha in her uniquely gifted way, grabbed my hands, looked me squarely in the eyes and said to me, but to herself as well, and declared; “Mom we will be together forever”.  You see we knew that no matter what this DIPG cancer nightmare was going to bring us, we knew; we knew that our hope and faith in God and our love would guide us. We never gave up hope and clear expectation in our hearts that God could miraculous heal Natasha even up to her last day on earth. …And we also held the possibility that she might go home early. We rested daily in hope; faith, love and we put our trust in God.
  • You see Natasha is free again, she is not trapped in her body, her death reminds us all that this stuff, is nothing. We don’t bring it on, it stays here, and your spirit leaves this earthly form. We are nothing without our spirits; and praise God we have the opportunity to move onto the spiritual realm of heaven.
  • Make memories, make good ones, resolve conflict, forgive, that’s what you bring with you to your new beginnings in heaven, …“forever Mommy”
  • Natasha along with her brother Liam are gifted with an amazing entrepreneurial spirit – and every summer, every lemonade stand, was a beginning, Natasha loved it! But it did not stop at lemonade, they liked to push the envelope and lemonade became frozen ice slushies’ of every imaginable flavour, and well people need to eat so we need to bake cookies and cupcakes, and what about art, that sells well, everyone loves a greeting card painting by a kid….
  • … Liam I pass the talking stick to you now

Liam

  • Natasha loved the outdoors.  We went camping every summer and Natasha loved the routine of camping: swimming, sun bathing, climbing trees, and especially shmores.
  • When we were little, we built a tree house in our back yard. We dreamed of creating a massive jungle gym between all the trees in our backyard, but it ended up being just a few 2x4s nailed into one of the trees. She still admired the work that she had done with her big brother. That is one of the things that stuck with me, it’s not about reaching a great goal but more about how you get there and who it is with.
  • Halloween was one of her favourite times – and not because it’s our mom’s birthday. Natasha had a sweet tooth.  She couldn’t make her candy stash last as long as I could of course I always got more than she did. She loved every moment of it, dressing up as her favourite character that year, racing from house to house collecting as much sugar as she could. Then pilling it all up on the floor when we got home and organizing her stash.
  • She liked to try new things – especially anything I would do: surfing, boogie boarding, ATV-ing, soccer, biking and skating. She played for a few years of soccer, but didn’t like it if the weather was too cold, or too hot, or too windy.  That happens a lot in Calgary!
  • Our whole life Natasha and I were participating, in what we that, was the most important competition off all, brother and sister rivalry. I excelled at many things such as biking, hockey and other sports and became known as the family athlete. Although I had the athletic corner of the game locked down she dominated in basically everything else. Singing, reading, writing, and horseback riding. She tried so many things: Ballet, dance, sparks, wrestling, tuba, guitar, piano, voice training, skiing, snow boarding, long boarding, skating, horseback riding, vaulting, and 4H.  In 4H she won a big trophy – of course for public speaking!  She wanted to try it all.
  • Natasha you are the most amazing person that ever came into my life, you had qualities that no other person has and I just pray some of those qualities rub off on me. I will never be the same without you, I love you so much my beautiful little sister.

Bill

  • Natasha did a lot, but one thing she didn’t get to do, was grow up to be a singer/songwriter.  As you heard earlier, she just may have had some talent in that direction.  Here is she is for you now practicing her song.  She tried to learn to play it on the guitar as well, but her hand became too weak.
  • Cue song
  • Natasha developed a passion for praying for people. Examples:
    • A woman waiting while her daughter was getting an MRI
    • A man with pain in his legs while outside a church
    • A young boy named Rhythm, from Hawaii, who was diagnosed with DIPG on Easter Sunday, and died all too quickly
  • Following Natasha’s lead, we would like to pray for you here and now.  If you have any physical, emotional or spiritual need for prayer, please come and join us down here in front of the stage.  While we pray for those who come to the front, everyone else please relax, pray, contemplate or meditate while listening to some beautiful music.  We have about 10 minutes for this, and then we will be wrapping up.