Scotia Strong

This is the last quote you sent to me. It was a few weeks ago now, when the social distancing parameters were beginning. We talked about online learning and online teaching and what that was going to look like. You always made sure to message me directly rather than ask online, almost as a way to clarify without all the drama. We talked about being cooped up in the house and some of the really great things that could come from the time we have been given, to err on the side of the positive, always. We talked about the stress it could have on some people and the importance of continuing to shed some positive energy onto others during these difficult times. We talked about being kind to others and attempting to maintain some sort of normalcy throughout everything.

We are experiencing anything but normal right now.

It's hard to explain what it's like to live in Nova Scotia. I have never lived anywhere else. But when I travel, I am so very proud to tell people where I am from. When I travel to the US a lot of people will say, oh is that near Toronto? No, I tell them, no it is not. There are saltwater beaches and rugged terrain, small picturesque towns and quaint villages, our biggest city has a population of roughly 400,000 people. We are made up of many rural communities. Close knit neighbors who go out of their way to help, where people are 'give their shirts off their backs' kind of people. And if I can stand to read some of the stories that are coming to light, it sounds as though the beautiful people of Portapique and surrounding communities were doing exactly that. They were helping their neighbors. It is in us. It is woven into our tapestry. To be kind and to help those in need. And that will not stop because of the evil memories of that horrific day.

I woke up on Sunday morning excited for a quiet house. The sun was shining and admittedly, I am most productive in the early morning and had a pep in my step for the day ahead. I started to see shared tweets of things that were going on and I wasn't sure what was happening. I saw the name of a town, Portapique and had to find it on the map. Things seemed to be escalating with new information, more shared tweets, more Nova Scotians waking up, sharing the information, confusion and worry. I cannot imagine what those 911 operators were experiencing. I cannot imagine the terror and overwhelm and pushing it all aside to do their job. To keep people safe. I will not cast an opinion about the emergency alert systems. It is not my place. Unfortunately, we grow from these experiences and I just pray to God there will never be another time. Even though it will be, I don't want this to be a learning experience for the future because things like this don't happen in our beautiful province.

You died doing the job you loved to do. You were protecting us. You knew the devastation he had already created and you did your job. You made sure he didn't continue to unleash any more of his evil unto any more innocent lives in our beautiful province. You will not die in vain. We will celebrate you Heidi. We will take care of your family. Your community will take care of them, like you gave your life taking care of all of us.

You always told me that you were proud of me. That I continued to be a ray of light and hope in your newsfeed when you might have had a particularly dark day at work. I promise to continue to be a ray of light and hope for others, even on these very dark days.

Nova Scotia, we are suffering. But we are all suffering together. Reach out to loved ones, send an email, mail a letter, find a motivational quote and share it. It's what Heidi would do if she knew her people were suffering. Hold onto the memories, memories last forever. We will grieve together, albeit virtual for now and we will come together to celebrate the lives lost on this horrific day.

Scotia Strong

xo Christine