Today’s editorial will draw heavily upon a letter written by grieving grandparents.
As the pandemic continues to change and test and strain the world around us, we should heed the words and wisdom of Jean-Paul and Diane Delisle of Ottawa.
They write: “We lost our beautiful eight-year old granddaughter Aviana ... due to a tragic accident in her backyard. One of the reinforced concrete columns holding up a hammock collapsed on her and her father, killing her instantly. There were some 10 such columns on the property, which became a stark reminder of the loss of our son and daughter-in-law’s child.”
The tragic accident happened in Lower Sackville, N.S., on a Friday afternoon. On Monday, Aviana’s dad called local company REWS Development about having the columns removed. Owner Adam Spencer dropped over to size up the job and provide an estimate. But REWS was booked solid and Spencer said it would be a week before they could get to it.
“However,” the Delisles write, “upon hearing why our son wanted the columns removed, (Spencer) returned later that afternoon, after a full day of work. He came with some heavy equipment and a dump truck. Over the course of more than three hours, he, his son and his employee worked tirelessly to remove and haul away these very difficult reinforced columns from the property.”
They refused to accept any payment for the work.
We’ve got a long history of helping each other when times are tough.
“The entire family, both here in the Ottawa area and in Nova Scotia, have been touched to the bottom of our heart by their kind gesture,” their letter says. “It has brought us all comfort and uplifting. It shows once again not only the goodness that there is in people, but particularly so in the hearts of so many Nova Scotians where a sense of community and looking after one another is so prevalent.”
Fortunately for all of us, that goodness and kindness permeates Atlantic Canada.
We’ve got a long history of helping each other when times are tough.
We don’t know where the pandemic will take us, but let’s embrace our capability and capacity for kindness.
Ultimately, it is what can make the most difference when people are experiencing hardship.
Ask the Delisle family.
“Our heartfelt thanks go out to (Adam Spencer), his son and employees for their kind, generous and humanitarian gesture,” Jean-Paul and Diane conclude.
How generous it is to recognize generosity in others in the depths of grief.
We send our condolences to the Delisle family as well as our appreciation for their reminder of what’s most important.
Caring for each other. Sparing a thought for someone else. Going above and beyond to ease someone’s pain or lessen their stress. We are in this together.
