Survivors

I wrote this little letter last year to a Facebook group Tommy started many years ago called Laval West Survivors. A group from our hometown to share memories and photos etc. It seemed to strike a chord with many people and I decided to save it on my blog so I would always have it.

Several years ago, around the time this group first started a young woman joined and asked why the group was called LW Survivors. What had we survived? I never answered then, I didn't quite know how to say if you don't know maybe this group isn't for you without sounding rude which wasn't my intention. Well young lady if you're still around I think I can now attempt an answer. We survived drug/gang wars, English/French wars, Laval/Two mountains wars and our parents wars. Referendums. We survived crossing the train bridge and all the near misses, crossing the frozen river and hearing the ice crack beneath our feet. We survived spankings, the wooden spoon, the belt, the strap and getting our mouth washed out with soap. We survived no helmets, no seatbelts, 6 or more squished in the backseat of the car and riding in the back of pick-ups. We survived second hand smoke in our homes, in all the restaurants, and in the car with the windows rolled up. 🤢 We survived bumper skiing in our boots down the street in the dead of winter. We survived winter! We survived playing with mercury, lawn darts and all day outside with little or no adult supervision until the street lights came on. We survived with no cell phones, internet or even cable tv. Waiting until Saturday morning for cartoons and Sunday evenings for Disney. When going to the Garden Theatre for a movie was a big deal and then to the Marquise for ice cream. Such a treat! Most of us have kids and grandkids of our own. We've survived all of this and so much more! And now we're smack dab in the middle of Covid 19 and lockdown. Like nothing we've ever seen before. In the midst of this tragedy, the very real pain and loss, the fear and uncertainty try to remember we are survivors! Ca va bien aller! Tous ensemble. Better together! Stay safe, be kind and hopefully one day in the not too distant future we can say we survived the global pandemic of 2020. Take good care & God bless! Dede & Tommy Nicholson