There have been a lot of tears shed at my house the last few days.
It started with Canada’s first gold medal. It was hard not to be moved by the incredible joy on the face of wrestler Carol Huynh as she stood on the podium, tears streaming down her face as the Canadian flag was raised while our anthem was played for the first time in Beijing.
Listening to her interview shortly after, I couldn’t help but get misty by something she said. In between her adorable giggles as she tried to describe the feeling of the accomplishment and how proud she was, Huynh thanked her family and friends but also talked about how grateful she was for her small town of Hazelton, BC. She thanked her community for “helping raise an Olympian”.
I know all about ‘community’. I grew up in St. Brieux, a small town in Saskatchewan. It was there as a young girl growing up, I would be glued to the tv every single Olympics, watching all the events, dreaming like many young kids do, of one day competing in the Games. Eventually those dreams evolved into working in sports television and interviewing those gifted athletes with the hopes of maybe one day covering an Olympic Games. I strongly believe it was being raised in St. Brieux and that tight-knit community that helped me make those dreams come true.
Now to the other reason for the tears. If St. Brieux sounds familiar, it might be because it has been in the news these past few days. Last week, my town of 500 people lost six of its residents in a tragic single vehicle accident. A mother, both her children, and their three young friends were killed coming home from a birthday party. Five little girls ages 8 and 10, each with big dreams of their own, that now will never be realized.
In between making and delivering home-cooked meals for the victims’ families for as long as is needed, organizing a pancake breakfast this past Sunday that raised over $10,000 and doing whatever else they can do to help, the people of St. Brieux will pack their church for four separate funerals this week.
My town will never be the same.
So as we are brought together as a country in a much larger community called “Canada” by the performances of such athletes as Carol Huynh, my thoughts are with my smaller community of St. Brieux.
And my heart goes out to the Bahan, Coquet, Hunt and Piatt families.