Like many Canadians, I was shocked and horrified by the collision this past Friday between a tractor-trailer and the bus carrying the Humbolt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, resulting in 15 deaths and many others injured. How many of us as parents have put their kid on a bus and wondered if they’d ever see them again? This numbing crash is every parent’s worst nightmare. And, still, through the darkness of it all, we manage to find our way to the light. I don’t recall the last time that we have seen such a coming together, as a town, province and indeed a country. It was impossible not to feel it this past weekend. First came the gut-wrenching news of the young men who died and or were injured. The sense of helplessness and the knowledge of what must be hell on earth for the parents, families, and friends who tried to make sense out of something that made no sense at all. Followed by the outpouring of support from the community, province, country and even out of state, that would get us through another night of intense grief. Messages from around the world to close by at home and the leaning on each other’s shoulder made an otherwise heart-crushing weekend bearable. While the $5 million-plus raised through Go Fund Me will help the victims families, nothing can replace these precious lives, nor the helpful honesty and emotion of the neighbour across the street to the person who messaged from around the world. After all is said and done and we have moved on from this tragedy, we can take some comfort in knowing that no matter how dark the day, we will always have each other to find a little light. God bless.
Ian Power
@ianonair
ian@pulsefm.ca