A day of Fire and Memories

Janie and I were having a coffee before going to Curves this morning, yes, I'm back at the gym and this was the 3rd day in a row, yeah me. Anyhow, she mentioned that a historical building had burned to the gound in Tibet. My first thought was not those poor people. Janie looked at me like I was being a little weird as I shared my views on what was going on in that country and the country that is occupying it right now. Finally we figured out that where I had heard Tibet, she had said Quebec. Oh my, a historical building in Quebec? Thank goodness it wasn't the Chateau Frontenac, was my first thought. Not only is the beautiful city of my birth celebrating its 400th anniversary this year, but my very dear SIL works at the Chateau! Arriving home, I quickly checked the internet and UTube to see if I could find out more. I found this.

Oh my goodness its the Armory on Grande Allee! The home of the Voltigeurs de Quebec. I've been there, in fact for many years I passed it on my way to and from school. Then on my Captain's qualifying course, when I was living and training at the Citadelle de Quebec, we had colleagues who were from the Voltigeurs! They took us to visit their armory which is close to the Citadelle. What a beautiful building! What a terrible loss! My heart goes out to the men and women of the Voltigeurs de Quebec. My thoughts and prayers will be with you as you rebuild your armoury, as I know you surely will.

My heart also goes out to you because I know from experience what it feels like to lose a home to fire. How devastated and vulnerable you feel. How terrible it is waiting for your home to be rebuilt and your life to go back to a "normal" that will never quite be the same again. As a soldier and a former member of the Royal Montreal Regiment, I also know that your Regiment is your 2nd home as well as the place where you volunteer your time and meet your friends. I hope you will be able to go home soon.

My thoughts also go back to all the fires there were in "Old" Quebec when I was growing up and how terribly difficult it is for the firefighters to work even a small fire in the bitter cold with the water freezing as it hits the ground and hits their boots, hands, faces and ladders. I remember the rivers of water racing down Cote de la Montagne, the street I lived on. It became streams of frozen ice that cars could not drive on. The street had to be closed! And my thoughts turn to the January night when my house burned and my son and I had to evacuate to the neighbors. 7 months and four moves later our house was finally ready to move back into.

Firefighters are always heroes. The firefighters that have to work in the frozen lands of the northern hemisphere have my undying admiration!