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TWO MORNINGS DAY
Thursday May 5, 2016
Morning in Calgary …
Time for relaxing, leisurely perusal of newspapers, sipping great coffee, enjoying breakfast. Doing normal things, little things, putting in some laundry, playing with my dog, reading some email, fixing a problem, planning my day. Planning several days actually – comfortable knowing where I am, where I will be, comfortable my life, my home, my possessions – everything is safe, in its place and there is no imminent threat to life or limb or property.
Morning in Fort McMurray …
Ghost town, it’s 80,000 citizens displaced – like refugees in their own land, not knowing if or when they can return, or whether their home and possessions will stand waiting for them or they will only have memories. No clear count yet from officials on what’s gone, what’s left, what’s still at risk. You see, the fire isn’t out and hoped-for-rain is still on-the-way. Wind, fire and fuel. Devastation, swift and unpredictable. They are all somewhere else, safe but their community is like a half-exploded war zone, every home and business waiting … fuel for the fire, each time it’s whims shift direction.
Good news? People are safe, life is good and rebuilding is something all Albertans have already begun helping with. It’s easy. Phone or link to donate to the Red Cross – or have your cashier add your donation at the grocery checkout. If everybody gave a little, that would mean a lot to those who’ve lost so much. More than homes and possessions, they’ve lost a sense of community and safety. We all have a duty to help restore their safety, their lives and their community for them, don’t we?
Mark Kolke
written / published from Calgary, AB
morning walk: 12C/53F, overcast and breezy, cooler but so nice to see everything is where it was yesterday, unchanged, sale and everyone going about their business – as was Gusta, still adjusting I think to her shorn summer coat …
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