This has not been an easy time lately for Fort St. James. There have been a number of deaths of members of the community, allegations of murder against a community-member and a search and a search and rescue incident which turned out to be a false alarm.
Not one of these things is easy for a community to deal with, and all together they could be very difficult.
Those impacted by tragedy can become withdrawn and become overwhelmed by feelings of depression, anger and guilt.
People who know those struggling with these emotions can also feel awkward about how to approach them, afraid to say the wrong thing.
But it has amazed me once again how people in the Fort feel so comfortable speaking about the losses taking place, the recent deaths of community members seems to have touched everyone.
As I was reading about grief and loss, I saw how counsellors urge people to offer support and try not to pretend the loss didn’t occur but to acknowledge it and to simply be there and offer support for the person.
The support here in the community is evident every day, and I have already seen the acknowledgement by the community of the great losses by a minute of silence at the All Candidates Forum last week, when all the names of those who died recently were read out.
That moment of silence once again spoke volumes about the care in the community for people, and how in such a small community, everyone touches many lives, and we are all very reliant upon one another.
It is heartwarming to think of how connected this community is, and even as people are struggling with great loss, they can at least feel some comfort in knowing they are not alone.