In many families, when one person hurts, or grieves, they all hurt and grieve, and they support one another as they go through the process of handling the feelings of pain and loss.
In a very real sense, communities in Saskatchewan are like large families with interconnections and relationships that run deep, and this is certainly true in the hockey community and the arts community in this province.
The value of family is in the strength of bonds that help provide support to those who need it, and Saskatchewan showed its resiliency and how deeply the sense of community runs when Humboldt’s SJHL team, the Broncos, were hit with an unspeakably horrible tragedy on Friday.
The out-pouring of support and grief for the families of the 15 people who died on that team bus, and for those who were injured and are recovering in hospital, has been mind-boggling, with the GoFundMe page garnering millions of dollars, surpassing their goal of $4 million within three days of going up, and it continues to grow.
In addition, many communities around the province, including Weyburn, held vigils on Sunday evening in conjunction with the memorial service held in Humboldt and broadcast live across the country, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Scott Moe among the thousands in attendance at the rink.
There have been many touching tributes and gestures, such as the song that two cousins from Pilot Butte sang, and the gesture of leaving hockey sticks out on the front step, which has been picked up by people across North America and around the world.
In this province, the tragedy struck home hard because hockey teams from virtually every community with a rink have been out travelling on Saskatchewan’s roads every week through the winter and spring, and such a tragic end for this bus trip is a horror no parent or family ever wants to happen to anyone.
Even for non-hockey activities, such as school trips for band and choir, long bus trips are a big part of their experience, so a major accident like this brings home the fragility and value of life to each and every person.
As was stated at the Weyburn vigil, “tonight, we are all Humboldt Broncos.”
In other words, we all feel the pain and the sorrow of the loss, and we support those grieving families as well as those of the injured people who are recovering in hospital, and will continue to for as long as our love and support is needed — because that is what families do.
