After my last blog post on May 1st about being prepared for a major disaster I was a cautious about posting. Who knows what kind of foreboding my post evac brain could have drummed up. For your safety and mine here are the more reasonable snippets of my drafts: May 4th. I'm in my tent. Fort McMurray is on fire and I'm so glad to have my family and dogs with me. We grabbed our essentials. My Grandpa Brown's guitar, my grandpa Harvey's Eucharist, photos, important papers, computers, week's worth of clothing, quads, food and basic essentials. May 5th. Evac'ed again out of Gregoire Lake Provincial Park and hit the road to Bonnyville. By hitting the road I mean drive 500 m and get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the highway (again). Oh ya. My one pair of shoes broke. I am now shoeless. Every person on Hwy 881 with us were watching the skyline. We even considered unloading the trucks and driving the quads to safety if we started to see flames. We looked at Maverick, Molly and Sadie and had a quick family meeting agreeing that if we had to flee it would ok to leave the two elderly bichons behind. Thank goodness that didn't happen. I can't imagine driving down hwy 881 to Bonnyville on a quad! We also gave Molly and Sadie extra treats and will never speak of it again. June 4th. Essentially everyone's story is the same, so won't go into any detail have a photo montage. The last month was a blur but am glad to be home and that everyone is safe, despite the damage. #emotionalwellbeing
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5/1/2016 0 Comments Proactive HumanityI hardly remember the past seven days as they were filled to the brim. Every night I would collapse from exhaustion and start all over again in the morning. I accomplished a few awesome things this week and am also so very happy they are over. Everything they teach you in a management degree is about prioritizing your time, your most precious commodity. While I'll never truly be able to catch up on sleep I will definitely be catching up on self-care and me time. My wow goals are all about giving myself time.
I'm sending prayers to the rain god, if there is one. Why would a rain god care of my "me" time. Given the current situation in Fort McMurray with three forest fires surrounding the urban service area, and me being an ESS volunteer, I'm thinking two-rocks one-stone. What is ESS? It's Emergency Social Services, comprising a great team who provide support to those affected by disasters. Real disasters. Storms, floods, fires, tornados. The worst of the worst. This team is there to help shelter, feed and provide the most basic services that normally we take for granted. Other than the ice storm in Quebec, I haven't been in a real disaster as a victim. Disasters are where you see people go to incredible lengths to be there for each other. True community. Imagine losing your home to an act of God (which insurance companies do not cover). Who would you turn to? Family, friends? What if like most Fort McMurrayites your support system is in another province or city? Who will you turn to? The systems are in place to be there for each other. How can we apply these core values and sense of community on a more regular basis. Why do we need a disaster to bring out the best in people? I got to volunteer this week for an incredible organization - Canadian Humanitarian - who provide the wrap around care for children in Ethiopia from early childhood to adulthood. A local doctor and his wife, a social worker, adopted a brother and sister from Ethiopia and were so impacted from the experience that they decided to do something about it. Canadian Humanitarian was born and is hosting the Hues for Humanity - a family friendly color run/walk on the birchwood trails (5k easy route) on June 4th. Sign up a team or go solo here! So I challenge you, don't react, instead be proactive by doing something kind for another person.
|If you picked option #3 here are the two local organizations showcased: |
About me
I grew up in Athabasca, AB and have spent the majority of my life in Northern Alberta or Montreal, PQ. My husband has been in Fort McMurray since the 70s and continues to love this town and all that it has to offer. We are avid outdoor enthusiasts, spending our summer weekends quadding and camping. As Opimian members we thoroughly enjoy wine pairings and tastings and are working on our wine collection. Ralph is a carpenter by trade and has framed more houses in Fort McMurray than I could count and knows the city inside and out. I work all throughout the region from the NWT to Janvier for the tribal council. My passion is doodling and photography which is featured throughout the website (various mediums), writing, Indigenous studies, and learning in general. Categories |