At Times Like This

I’m writing this on Wednesday, May 4^th, the day Alberta waited to see which way the fires would go next.  I’m watching the town I lived in for five years burn. I’m in shock. My heart is heavy. Tears are close to the surface. I’m grateful for social media to keep track of my friends as they leave Fort McMurray – some heading north, some south.

A family of six is asleep in my basement, in beds we made at midnight when we heard they were headed our way. It took them a gruelling twelve hours to make the four-hour journey to Westlock.

Two days before these events, I found myself restless and uneasy. I felt guilty sitting in my comfortable house with a full belly. I couldn’t think of the unrest in the world and not feel an urgency to do something about it. But what? Since January I’ve had to become vigilantly frugal and live on a budget tighter than ever, so donating cash wasn’t an option.

Forty-eight hours later, with our own evacuees headed this way, I had my answer.

At times like this I am so impressed with my fellow humans. They pitch in and give – time, money, food, shelter, and whatever else is needed over the next days, weeks, and months.

Amidst the tragedy and chaos there is purpose and calm as we put aside our differences and unite to preserve the things that matter to us all – life and love.

People Are Priceless

There were several things I considered writing about this week.  End of the school year, etc.  But it’s hard to focus on normal activities when so much is going on south of us.

Television and social media has been bombarded with pictures and news stories of the flooding and destruction in southern Alberta.  While some of the stories have been negative (looting, price gouging, etc.), the majority have been positive:  people helping people, donations pouring in, emergency responders working round the clock to ensure public safety.

When disaster strikes, I think it’s interesting to note our first reactions:  Where’s my family?  Is my family safe?  What about my friends?  Who can I help?

We’re willing to leave everything, grab our loved ones, and get out.  We’re willing to open our homes to family, friends, and even strangers.  We’re willing to donate food, clothing, blankets, toiletries, toys, money, and time to help those in need.

Why?  Because deep down, we know our families and friends – and all people – are the most important things in this world.

Money and possessions are nice and even necessary, but when we lose belongings it’s the photographs, family mementos, and heirlooms – the reminders of times with those we love – that we feel most sick about.

Homes and vehicles and electronic gadgets can be swept away in a moment.  But relationships last forever.  That’s why we feel the urge to help, give, serve, praise, work, lift, and pull together in times of need.  Because we know people are priceless.

I wish we acted that way all the time.

Bless Your Heart

Two weeks ago I got another one of those phone calls.  My dad had suffered a heart attack and was taken by ambulance to Foothills Hospital.

It turned out to be severe; one of his arteries was 100 percent blocked.  He underwent angioplasty and recovered for a week in hospital.  Now he’s home, adjusting to his new lifestyle and medications.

Considering the circumstances surrounding the attack (ie. that he was visiting my sister in Calgary just minutes from one of the best medical facilities in Alberta instead of driving through the mountains of BC, alone, as he was just two days before) I believe our family experienced a miracle.  Even the doctors said the only reason he’s still with us is because God didn’t want him yet.

Surprisingly, my dad had just undergone a thorough physical.  His cholesterol and blood pressure were good.  He doesn’t smoke.  He was a 70-year-old who acted like a 40-year-old.  How could he not have any warning he had Coronary Artery Disease?

Well, it turns out he did have some warnings.  But since he’d been given a clean bill of health, he chalked it up to indigestion or fatigue.  And since his brother died at age 70 from a stroke, he had studied up on the symptoms for stroke, not heart attack.

I heartily believe in miracles, but I also believe in being educated.  If you have any of the following symptoms:  chest pain or discomfort (pressure, squeezing, fullness), pain or discomfort in the arms, neck, jaw, back, or stomach, shortness of breath, cold sweats, nausea, or lightheadedness – call 911 immediately.

Yearning To Create

A few weeks ago, while sitting in Emergency waiting for my daughter to get stitches and thinking about an article that was due in a few hours, I realized I needed to cut back.  So I’ll be writing every second week instead of weekly.

I believe this will be my 70^th article for the Town & Country.  Granted, that’s not a lot compared to fulltime journalists but, believe it or not, writing a weekly column does takes a fair bit of time and creativity.

Sometimes I’m full of ideas but low on time.  Sometimes I have time but no ideas.  It seems as though I’m allotted a certain amount of creative juice per week and when I’ve used it up, it’s gone.

I especially noticed this while homeschooling, pregnant, and writing a column in Fort McMurray.  I had to quit the paper because all my creativity was, apparently, going into educating and gestating.

As much as I enjoy writing, I often feel the need create in other ways, like building block towers with my son, learning to compose, or catching up on seven years worth of scrapbooking.

My older sister is very crafty.  She has a blog (yearning to create) with this quote: "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)  I think that’s true.  Everyone I know enjoys creating in some way – whether with words, paint, plants, fabric, yarn, wood, hair, furniture, or old cars – the desire is there.

Don’t fight the yearning.  Create.

Now Is The Time

This past week marked two years since my mom was hit by a car while crossing a street in Lethbridge.  Yes, she waited for the light to turn green and she was in a crosswalk; nevertheless, a car ran straight into her.

She doesn’t remember much except lying on the ground for a long time while emergency workers assessed her injuries.  She required surgery to set a broken leg with metal plates and pins.

That wasn’t a phone call I was expecting.  Fortunately, by the time I was notified, the news “Mom was hit by a car” was followed with “but she’s alive and came through surgery okay.”

Times like this make me refocus.  What’s most important to me?  My relationships.  Does my behaviour reflect this?  Am I quick to apologize, to forgive, to spend time, to say “I love you”?  Sometimes when those phone calls come, it’s too late to go back and change things.  Now is the time.

As for driving, let’s slow down, shoulder check, put away the cell phone, and invest in sunglasses.  And pedestrians, even when you have the right of way, make sure the cars around you are stopping before you cross.  Make eye-contact with drivers to ensure they’ve seen you.

My mom endured painful physiotherapy, did her exercises faithfully, limped around on crutches for awhile, and her leg healed.  But the strain on her knee took its toll and a few months later she required knee replacement surgery and more rehabilitation.  Now she’s up and about, but the accident caused permanent nerve damage and she’ll never be the same.

Still, when I think of how that phone call two years ago could have gone, I am thankful my mom is still with us.  Who are you thankful for?  Now is the time to tell them.

Friends In High Places

I once heard someone say, “If anyone has to buy a zucchini in the summer, that person must not have any friends.”  Having just bought a zucchini, I said, “Hey!”  So we became friends and I didn’t have to buy another zucchini that summer.  Or the next.

The abundance of zucchinis this summer reminded me of this.  It also reminded me how nice it is to have friends.

A few weeks ago we ended up in Emergency (again) with our little guy.  It seems that whenever he gets a cold, he has complications – the latest ones being breathing difficulties that sent us to the Stollery by ambulance.  It sure is frightening to watch your baby struggling to breathe.  Then there are the other children at home to worry about.

Enter friends.

Friends who watch our children.  Friends who provide dinner when we’re unable to cook.  Friends who pray for us.  Friends who offer to keep our kids overnight if we have to be at the hospital past bedtime.

What would we do without friends?  I’m glad I haven’t had to find out.

In June I saw six high school girls walk past my house.  Five of them were holding some kind of electronic device, heads bent, fingers texting.  I couldn’t help but wonder if they were friends and, if so, why they weren’t talking to each other.  Or were they texting each other?  I don’t know.  But it did make me worry about the ability of future generations to make friends and communicate in relationships.

I tell my children that to have a friend you have to be one.  Sometimes we’re on the giving end, sometimes the receiving end.  But whenever someone lifts another, they are, indeed, a friend in high places.

Preparation Paranoia

Several months ago when the power went out unexpectedly, I realized how much I rely on electricity.  Without it, the food in my fridge goes bad, my house gets cold, I walk into walls in the darkness, and I have no entertainment or information by way of computer and television.

Besides losing electricity, other types of “disruptions” could place us in various states of emergency.  Forest fires heading our way, heavy rains and flooding, tornados, ice storms, droughts, and even terrorist attacks.

Each type of disaster requires slightly different preparation.  A speedy evacuation would require grab-and-go, 72-hour-kits that include identification, toiletries, extra money, and a change of clothes.  Flooding could necessitate having clean, bottled drinking water on hand.  Severe winter storms that knock out power would require alternative heat sources such as wood stoves or generators.

Often when a natural disaster strikes, neighbouring communities reach out to help.  But what if they couldn’t get to us quickly or there was a wide-spread disaster like an EMP?  Would we have adequate supplies – food, water, fuel, medical supplies, toiletries, etc. – on hand so we could hunker down and be okay in our homes?

Lately, “hoarders” have been getting a bad rap on TV, but there is a big difference between carefully planning, storing, and rotating emergency supplies and actual hoarding.  It makes sense to store at least 3 days of food and water in our homes, and preferably even more.

Lord Baden-Powell was on to something when he declared “Be Prepared” as the Boy Scouts of America’s motto.  It’s good advice for all.  Any type of preparation (getting an education, having a savings account, carrying a spare tire, practicing fire drills, attending a prenatal class) reduces stress and worry.  It’s not paranoia to be prepared; it’s preparation that keeps the fear away.