A Mom's gift at Christmas

You will forgive Sharon Middlehurst for hugging Scotty Morrison so hard.
And you will understand her tears, when you hear the story of a miniature hockey stick, emblazoned with an extraordinary autograph and a Toronto Maple Leafs logo, and how it made its way to Haliburton from Toronto and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
How it made this Christmas so very special for a mom, who must now stand strong in the wings and watch as her son, chief warrant officer Chris Rusk, boards a plane for Kandahar, Afghanistan in January.
Poignant, because Haliburton resident – and hockey Hall of Famer – Scotty Morrison, along with Leafs greats Ron Ellis and Paul Henderson all conspired to bring that unique hockey stick here to Haliburton, so a proud mom could give her son something extra special for Christmas this year.
The tears came mixed with smiles as Sharon Middlehurst, known as the quilt lady in the Highlands, stood in the meeting room of Community Care Haliburton last week, with volunteer coordinator Brigitte Gebauer and Morrison.
Tears of joy blended with a mom's love, amidst a constrained and contained celebration, because this particular gift comes with a price. It comes coincident with the attendant worries of a mother who must shortly bid her son goodbye as he trudges off to war.
Etched on Middlehurst's face, a mother's fears, infused with a smile and gratitude – and those tears.
And you will understand immediately just how much Middlehurst loves her 47-year-old son, regimental sergeant major Rusk of the 2nd Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery based at Camp Petawawa.
You will understand that even at 47, a son is still that little boy who skated on the backyard rink; who refused to eat his vegetables; and whose eyes lit up like an earthbound comet every Christmas morning.
And yes, that same Sgt. Maj. Rusk whose hulking presence fills a door today, is still that 13-year-old boy who was so unbelievably proud of a miniature hockey stick he received at a hockey camp, 35 years ago. A stick signed by everyone's boyhood idol, Paul Henderson.
Paul Henderson, hero of hockey's iconic '72 summit series between Canada and Russia.

Henderson, the player who like a latter day David, laid out the rumbling Russian bear with one quivering dart to the back of the twine, as seconds clicked to deadlock.

Warrant officer Rusk will be shipping out for Kandahar shortly.
It's a worrisome time for any soldier's mom.
Understandable then that Middlehurst was so focused on making this Christmas extra special for Rusk.
"Chris, when he was 12 or 13 went to hockey school one summer, and Paul Henderson gave each of the boys an autographed miniature hockey stick," says Middlehurst. "We've moved several times since then, and the stick has gone missing, and we've looked and looked, but we just can't find it.
"And I know that he [Rusk] still looks for it when he comes home, and I just thought, he's going to Afghanistan in January, and I wanted something special for Christmas for him. And I thought, 'if I could just give him another Paul Henderson stick,' and then all of a sudden I remembered, 'Scotty Morrison lives up here.'
"And you know, well, it was just incredible. I got the number from Hilary [Elia, a Community Care support worker and co-organizer, with Gebauer, of the annual Scotty Morrison Charity Hockey Tournament] and she assured me that he'd be happy to do it."
So Middlehurst phoned Morrison and left a voicemail. He was in Calgary visiting family at the time, but as soon as he got back he responded to Middlehurst's message.
"He phoned back and he said, 'I'll get you that stick,' and it was just so wonderful," says Middlehurst. "It just seemed like an impossible thing, but Scotty made it happen."
As she recounts the story, the tears again welling in her eyes, she stops just long enough to give Morrison another great big hug.
Morrison, who spent a long and illustrious NHL career as referee-in-chief, VP officiating, and later as chairman and CEO of the Hockey Hall of Fame, was self-effacing as ever, and loath to take much credit. He simply said that the stars just seemed to be aligned on this one.
"We really lucked in, because when I phoned Ron [Ellis], he said 'I'm meeting Paul this weekend,'" says Morrison. "And we were going to get a Hall of Fame stick, but we found that Chris was a Leafs' fan so we decided to use a Toronto Maple Leafs stick instead."
Morrison explains that Gebauer happened to be in Toronto recently and offered to pick it up. "Everything just seemed to work, because she was in the area and she just dropped into the Hall of Fame last week and picked up the stick and brought it back here to Haliburton in time for Christmas."
Middlehurst stops for a moment thinking about what this will mean for her son.
"He's got 29 years in [the military]," says Middlehurst. "He was 17 when he signed up, and he's done so well. So much training. He's been away from home for six months now, and he'll be in Afghanistan with the provincial reconstruction team for nine months. He's been presented with the Governor General's Award of Military Merit.
"He really believes in what he's doing, and he's done so well, I'm just so proud of him."
She says that this gift will mean a lot to Chris, but really, when you see that sparkle in those eyes, you can't help but succumb to a niggling notion that reinforces the old saw: "Better to give than to receive."
In this case, it's case closed.
"It was something, because I had second thoughts after I left that message on Scotty's phone," laughs Middlehurst. "When I left that message, I phoned a friend, and said that 'Maybe he'll think I'm nuts.'"
And in the end, that's what Christmas and giving's all about isn't it?
Leaving it all out there - on a tortured limb - for the ones you love.
And now, leaving the real perspective on this tale to Paul Henderson, no mean wielder of dreams himself.
Henderson left a wish for Chris on the autographed stick.
"To Chris – Keep safe my friend – Paul Henderson."
He signed it for Chris, but it stands as a message to all our troops, from one warrior to all those other warriors, out on that cold foreboding Afghan ice.
"Keep safe."
Twitter Terrance with story tips: terrancegavan at Twitter.com