Skate4Smiles in Memory of Dawson Ellert

Dawsie went by many nicknames but one of his favourites was "Dirt".

It happened one Saturday. I was trying desperately to get him out of the house to his guitar lesson on time. I was sitting (im)patiently in the truck wondering when he'd ever appear. He finally did, but then took his time putting on his shoes. After some time, he hopped into the back of the truck and (a little bit frustrated) I looked at him and said "Man, you move slower than dirt". My frustration vanished as that comment was met with the biggest belly laugh you could imagine - from there, the name stuck.

Still close to being late for guitar, we turned onto Fernwood and I heard a scream from behind me "Daddy, stop!". I did and somewhat alarmed, I turned around to see him looking intently at something. "What Dawson?". "Look at the squirrel Daddy". And sure enough, on the power line over the road a squirrel was just walking along. We had to watch for a while - it was something he did. He didn't miss anything that was going on around him and he always had to stop to admire what the world was willing to share with him.

Similarly, we were on an excruciating long walk one day. It was nearing spring on the path around the lake in Windsor Park. On one of his many stops he just seemed to stare across the lake. He was telling me he could see one of those orange hockey balls in the snow - I looked and looked and finally, just before giving up and fibbing to him, I actually did see it. People backing onto the lake would clear skating areas on the ice in the winter. Dawson was concerned - he knew spring was approaching and if those people didn't find their ball, it would be lost in the waters when the snow and ice melted. He wanted to walk around and find the house and tell them about it. I wish now that I'd let him . . . he cared about the simplest things . . . but it's a perfect example of what came naturally to Dawson - these little things were important to him.

It may have taken time away from other things - it may have even caused him to be late on occasion - but he was taking the world in and taking care of it.

We walked together one day, hand in hand. Blowing off time probably . . . but together. As we walked through the Walmart parking lot on Vic East, dead stop - like one of those "pull your arm out of its socket" stops. "What is it Daws?". "Daddy, why is there snow on the light colored cars but not on any of the dark ones?". "WHAT?" - so I look around and yep, the warm sun is melting the snow away on the darker vehicles. Now, by this time in his life, I knew him well enough that this wasn't an answer you just gave away. I simply asked him a question: "Do you remember what it feels like in the summer when you wear a dark shirt or a white shirt?". No movement - it was thinking time now. And a few seconds later you get this long "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......". He had the right answer - the world had shown him something new . . . and off we went.

Since his passing, from time to time, I will see a squirrel (who knows, maybe even the same one) on that power line and I always stop to watch it . . . it reminds me how wonderful the world is and how we need to stop and look once in a while.