BLOG | Moments of normality in High River

High River residents Amanda Pawlitzki and Angela Piovesana will be blogging over the summer about their experiences during and after the floods that hit southern Alberta.

They'll tell stories of the recovery through the eyes of people who live there. In this post, Pawlitzki shares her experiences of the first day.

You dont realize how small things can be so important.

In the wake of the High River flood, it's the small things that are starting to makeusfeel normal again, that carry us from one day to the next.

On our rst night back in our house I remember walking up our steps after running to the store and smelling barbecue. The kids chuckled as they stood on a strip of wood while their dad was tending tothe food. Sitting down for dinner, we didn't say a word, our eyes glued to the televisionit was magical.

It has been almost seven weeks since the ood and almost three weeks since we have moved back home. Although the road to normality seems long, everyday we experience more of these moments.

Every time a store or restaurant reopens we make a point of going there, both to welcome them back and to show our support. My kids are loving being able to play with their friends at the park. I am loving being able to nd gluten-free, dairy-free options for meals again in High River living with allergies is hard enough without having to travel all over to nd food.

I would say the biggest moments of normality are enjoying life again without thinking about the ood or all the things we still have left to do. The other night as we watched the reworksat the Vulcan, Alta. centennial Isaw the awe on my childrens faces and smiled at my husband.For the first time in seven weeks Ifelt truly blessed.

In town you can begin to see signs of normality as well, grass getting replaced along Rotary Park by the museum, the Spray Park is open and free to all for the season and before we know it we will be getting our kids ready for back to school to and begin that routine.