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Pique'n'yer interest

Thank you Whistler, we won’t forget

“Thank you” just doesn’t seem adequate enough.

But it’s important to tell you, Whistler, how thankful we are for your support over the past week.

The phone calls, the emails, the hugs have all gone such a very long way and we appreciate it. More than you can imagine.

Last Wednesday we faced the worst day of our careers — we had to produce a paper with the raw knowledge that our leader, our publisher, our friend, had been killed in a cycling accident half way across the world.

Sadness, worry and dread filled our hearts as we made our way to into the office. But we had a paper to get to the presses by deadline.

First thing that morning Pique friend Chris Quinlan, of Behind the Grind, was at the office with fresh coffee and chai tea and treats to get us started. He knew this was a day to have lemon loaf and banana bread for breakfast. Despite his own sorrow he had much-needed hugs to offer us, and his tall shoulder to cry on as we tried to wrap our heads around the task at hand.

About an hour later our neighbour Gayle Stewart, who knows most of us by name because of our frequent stops at Delish Cafe, was on our doorstep with more urns of fresh coffee and a tray of treats.

By one o’clock without even realizing that lunchtime was almost over, we had a delivery from our friends at Origin Design + Communication — a tray of sandwiches, goodies and drinks for lunch. We took a break and ate.

I don’t know if we thanked any of you on Wednesday but you must know from the bottom of all of our hearts how much you helped us that day.

It wasn’t just that you kept us going with coffee and calories. It was that you knew we couldn’t face going out that day, meeting people, forced to talk about it. It felt better to stay cocooned with our Pique family.

And it wasn’t just that you treated us with food, it was that you were thinking of us. And that made a big difference.

We will never forget it.

We got through Wednesday in a daze. But work was waiting again the next day.

And that’s when the flowers began to arrive. Beautiful bouquets to remind us how much Kathy was loved and admired in the community. It made us feel a little better to see them and brought a smile to our wary faces.

And so again we thank the Whistler Real Estate Company, Bob and Sue Adams and the staff at the Grocery Store and Delish, the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, Cathy Goddard, and Sea to Sky News.

You made a very sad office brighter with your thoughtful gestures.

And by Friday Chris Quinlan was back again with more sandwiches for staff.

What is there to say about such an outpouring of help and caring from the community? And what can we say about the reams of cards, emails and phone calls that have been flooding into the office over the past week?

Former employers, current freelancers, community members at large, personal friends — every one had a story to tell or simply a willing hand to help in any way they could.

Believe me — every single phone call and email has helped.

There is comfort just by knowing that the community is thinking of us, and more importantly, Bob.

The tributes to Kathy made me proud to be a member of the Pique family, proud that I had worked for her, that I had known her, that I could call her a friend.

Every single gesture of the past week is a testament to the character of our Kathy. She was loved, admired, and respected.

The outpouring also made me proud to call myself a member of our little resort town, a place that rallies together in times of need, a community that bands together and helps out even when they aren’t called upon to do so.

And while things will slowly return to normal, albeit with a huge void in a hearts, I speak for all of us at the Pique when I say that we will never forget how you showed us how much Kathy was a part of your life and our community.

Thank you.