The show must go on. I get it.

But it seems so quickly the world has forgotten about the young life lost less than a week ago at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

I don’t want to rain on the Olympic parade, but I can’t help to think that despite gold medals, amazing feats of athleticism, booming business, fun concerts and all that comes with the Games — for those who knew and loved Nodar Kumaritashvili there’s nothing bigger and more important right now than the fact that he’s gone.

Perhaps I’m not the only one whose eyes immediately go to the makeshift memorial of flowers every time I walk past the giant Olympic rings near Whistler Medals Plaza. Still, the crowds of people lining up to climb into the rings and snap a souvenir photo don’t even seem to notice the bouquets, a note and a small photo of Nodar.

For most, the Olympics are a time of celebration, of peace and international connection. I suppose there’s not much room for death, loss and sorrow in those ideals.

I’m not sure what I expected, or what else VANOC and the IOC could have done to mark Friday’s (Feb. 12) tragic accident. After billions of dollars invested, years of planning, and the hopes and dreams of so many other athletes on the line the Games had to go on.

Local, national and international media covered the situation extensively for at least a couple of days, and I can’t really blame them for moving on with so many compelling Olympic stories to tell.

But as the days have passed in a blur of competition and celebration, the young luge athlete’s death has continued to tug at me.

Not to be a total Debbie Downer, but of course Nodar’s is just one high-profile death in a world where tragedies happen every day. At least in this part of the world, the Games seem to have distracted us from just about all other goings-on. For example, Haiti is almost completely off the radar all of a sudden.

I know, it will all be over in about 10 days. Perhaps then we can get back to the rhythms of regular life — sorrows and joys. In the meantime, if you can find a quiet moment, remember the family a half a world away that’s mourning the loss of young Nodar. If for no other reason than to poke through the Olympic bubble and remember there’s life beyond the Games.

***

One of my standout Olympic moments so far came on Sunday (Feb. 14) at church. Yes, at church — I was lucky enough to attend part of a joint service with Church on the Mountain, my home church, with the Norwegian Church Abroad, some attendees from Sweden and other local churches Our Lady of the Mountains and Whistler Village Church.

It was powerful to stand and sing with people from around the world, hear prayers in thick accents and hear scripture read in Norwegian. I’m grateful that the Norwegians reached out to help organize the joint service — connecting with people from other countries is one of the best parts of the Games in my humble opinion.

But the moment in the service that gave me goose bumps was when Alexandre Bilodeau skied his way to a first place finish in men’s moguls — even though there were no TV screens in my sight. The church service was being held at Whistler Canada Olympic House (a.k.a. the library), where Canadian athletes and their families were gathered just metres away from where us 200 or so people were singing.

Knowing the men’s moguls was underway and the Canadian team members and supporters were watching on unseen screens nearby, it was their enthusiastic cheering that tipped me off. As heads around me turned in an effort to find out what all the fuss was about, I said, “I think we just won gold!”

Go Canada, go!