Story that makes you go hmm..

Toddler survives plane crash
Only survivor after craft goes down near Golden, B.C., is three-year-old city girl
By DANIEL MACISAAC AND DAVE DORMER, SUN MEDIA
The Edmonton Sun

A three-year-old Edmonton girl has miraculously survived the crash of a small plane near Golden, B.C.- the third tragic air incident in that province in a week.
Two other Edmontonians died in the crash of the Cessna 172 that had left Golden for Edmonton yesterday afternoon: the male pilot, 60, who police say is related to the girl, and a male passenger.
The girl, Kate Williams, miraculously survived the crash on Sunday because she was strapped into a child’s car seat, said Mike Plonka, a member of Golden’s search-and-rescue team.
“What saved her life was being strapped into that car seat,” Plonka said Monday.
“You could see that she was very scared. Her big concern at the time was her little teddy bear. She didn’t want to leave without it.
“She was just pointing at it and calling it ‘Baby.”’
The girl, who suffered head injuries, was reunited with her parents in the southeastern B.C. community of Golden, said hospital officials.

The family arrived at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary mid-afternoon Monday, accompanied by a team from the Calgary Health Region. The girl was in good condition, and was admitted to hospital overnight “for observation only,” said health region spokesman Don Stewart.
RCMP said the Cessna 172 was on its way to Edmonton on Sunday when it took off from Golden around 1 p.m. into low clouds and snow. Visibility was poor.
An hour later, the Search and Rescue Centre in Victoria picked up the aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter signal from somewhere near the Blaeberry River.
Three search teams, which included military rescue experts, scoured the area by helicopter and on the ground. The chopper had to stay below 200 metres to remain under the clouds as it carefully skimmed above the dense forest.
The crash scene was finally found by a civilian team using a hand-held beacon locator. From the air, all searchers could see was the plane’s tail jutting out from the riverbed.
Searchers, including two military rescue technicians from Comox, B.C., Sgt. Scott Elliston and Master Cpl. Bruno Lapointe, then landed in a civilian helicopter on a logging road. The two men raced through the snow in the gloom of the late afternoon and reached the plane sometime after 5 p.m.
As they checked the wreckage for survivors, they discovered the girl alive but surrounded by debris in the back of the plane. As the two soldiers removed her from the wreckage, she made it clear she didn’t want to leave without her teddy bear.
“I got her out and I handed her to Bruno. She was calling out for her teddy bear. I picked up the teddy bear to give it to her but ... she wasn’t too happy that it was covered in snow so I brushed it off,” Elliston said.
“Everyone is happy that the child survived this.”
The search crew then carried her back to the helicopter for the flight back to hospital in Golden.
RCMP Sgt. Marko Shehovac said the girl probably owes her life to the flying prowess of her grandfather, a veteran pilot.
Williams was CEO and founder of Edmonton-based A.D. Williams Engineering Inc.
“He was very seasoned,” Shehovac said. “If he knew he was going to go down he probably would have done everything in his power to lessen the impact, which may have helped.”
Sutton was chief financial officer of the company.
The two men had been attending a business retreat in Golden.
“Allen has been a visionary and a leader in the consulting engineering industry throughout Alberta and across the country,” said Naseem Bashir in a statement on behalf of the company and families.
“Steve, a trusted adviser to our firm and in our community was an honest man who lived what he believed.
“Both men are treasured husbands, fathers, grandfathers and mentors who will be greatly missed.”
Yesterday's crash follow two other air incidents in B.C.
On Friday, a Piper Malibu flying from Oregon to Alberta crashed about 10 km east of Invermere, B.C., killing all three people aboard, including father and son William and David Wood.
And earlier in the week, another Cessna 172 went missing en route to Qualicum on Vancouver Island.
Pilot Ron Boychuk was flying from Revelstoke on Tuesday but his plane never arrived. His family is pleading for the public to look out for the 61-year-old, who is an experienced outdoorsman.
Chris Boychuk said he and his brothers Jon and Mike have rented a helicopter for the past three days to investigate a number of tips and possible sightings of their father's plane in the steep Fraser Canyon near Lillooet and Spences Bridge.
"As we speak, my brothers are in the bush where there was a flare seen a day or two ago," said Chris, 32, yesterday.
"My dad would never give up on looking for us and we're not going to give up looking for him."
The elder Boychuk was scheduled to fly from Springbank Airport to Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island en route to his home in Nanaimo.
He was returning from Manitoba, where his son runs a charter flight business.
Boychuk stopped for fuel in Revelstoke at 3:05 p.m., after which his last transmission placed him south of Spences Bridge.
Search and Rescue spokesman Second-Lt. Alexandre Cadieux said crews continue to scour a large area with two Buffalo planes and five of their own helicopters after receiving a number of tips over the last few days.
"They are very useful, especially in a mission that comprises of a very large search area," said Cadieux.

Life is full of mystery and wonder. It never ceases to amaze me what news we will hear from out of the blue. I received an email 2 days ago to tell me that one of my former mentors was in hospital, and then the following day to say that she had died.

Rev. Patricia Shirley "Pat" Gow , 57.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Pat Gow at the Halifax Infirmary on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007, after having suffered a massive heart attack. Born on December 24th, 1949 in Bridgewater, N.S., she was the eldest daughter of Frank and Shirley (Fraser) Gow. Over the past year she fought a courageous and successful battle with breast cancer. Pat was a graduate of Acadia University with degrees in Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Master of Divinity and Master of Theology (Pastoral Care). She also studied at the Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Center, Massachusetts where she worked toward a Doctor of Ministry Degree. After a brief career as a teacher in the public school system, Pat worked in the family business, Gow’s Home Hardware in Bridgewater, where she made a very valuable contribution. After being called to the Ministry, Pat was ordained a Baptist Minister in 1989. She worked at Acadia University as Adjunct Faculty at the Divinity College teaching Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), Grief Counseling and Basic and Advanced Pastoral Counseling. Pat was a mentor to many students who loved and respected her. She worked for a time as the Coordinator of Valley Pastoral Counseling at the Eastern Kings Memorial Community Health Center. Pat was also Chaplain for three years at the Cape Breton Psychiatric Hospital in Sydney, N.S. She had been an Associate Teaching Supervisor with the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education (CAPPE). Pat was Vice Chair of the local committee of the Atlantic Baptist Senior Citizen’s Homes Inc. This committee spearheaded the development of Drumlin Hills Assisted Living for Seniors Complex now under construction in Bridgewater. She also served as Interim Minister at various local churches. The last few years she devoted herself to the care of her parents, while continuing her involvement with the Bridgewater United Baptist Church and her own counseling service. Pat was a very intelligent, capable leader and teacher, a loving daughter, sister, aunt, friend and colleague. We will all miss her deeply. Besides her parents, she is survived by her brother, Peter, wife, Zelda and their children, Jennifer and Denise; sister, Sharon Gow-Knickle, husband, David Knickle, along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Visitation will be held Sunday from 6 to 9pm in Sweeny’s Funeral Home, Bridgewater with cremation to follow. A Baptist Memorial Service to celebrate her life will be held 2pm Monday in the Bridgewater United Church, Rev. Sarah Duffy and Rev Eric Campbell officiating. A reception will follow the service in the Christian Education Center at the church. No flowers by request. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Bridgewater Baptist Church, Canadian Cancer Society or the N. S. Heart and Stroke Foundation. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.sweenysfuneralhome.com

What do you say..?

Last week, I was called to a bedside for a stillbirth. The baby was full-term so it looked like they were sleeping. It was not the first time that I had been called for such a situation, but it was still not easy. For some reason the words of the following song came to mind.. probably for the chorus.

REBA MCENTIRE lyrics

Pastoral Care Week

Pastoral Care Week begins October 21 to 27. This year’s theme is “Healing Faith”. This is not to be mistaken with “faith healing”, but rather faith that is healing. The themes for pastoral care week have centred on “healing” for the past few years. Last year, the theme was “healing humor”, the year before that it was “healing wisdom”, the year before that it was peace.

Every discipline or group seems to have a “week” or “month” that is designation as ___________ awareness week. It is a time to educate and network with the community. I think that a lot of people don’t really understand what Pastoral Care is. Probably because of the terms we use. “Spiritual Care”, “Chaplain”, “pastoral”. Either these terms are foreign to common vocabulary, or there may be mis-interpretation of the terms themselves, or perhaps a bad association/experience relating to these terms. I will admit that when I first heard the word “spiritual”, my interpretation related to New Age and mysticism. Now that I have been in this “field” for a number of years, I would like to think that I am more open minded.

Pastoral care is not about preaching at people and telling them what they did wrong, or that they are ill (as this is healthcare chaplaincy) because of something they did or did not do. That God is punishing them. We are about relationships. Helping to build people up and to help discover their own strengths within.

I am still struggling with the "image" of pastoral care. A lot of people mistake me for some other discipline because they are expecting "clergy garb". A collar or cross, or some other identifying characteristic. I guess a lot of people forget that God doesn't fit into a mold, but that we have tried to put God into one.