We. Are. Canada.

The Olympic torch came to town today.

So Drew "had" to have the day off school. 

As a staff team at Arrow, we went out for a Vietnamese lunch then walked over to the downtown 'party site'. (Minutes before we left, I called Canon and talked to a technician about my camera. I explained my issue, he walked me through the re-setting procedure, and LIKE A MIRACLE my camera was fixed.)

(YAY, by the way.)

So. I was OK outside in the 12 degree weather with my red tank top and white windbreaker on, just hanging with my Arrow friends waiting for the fire-on-a-stick to come waltzing past me (which, truthfully has happened many, many times over the years, given that my dad gave each of my sons an easy-start propane blow torch on their 8th birthdays.) So seeing a flame isn't particularly a big deal for me. 

But the thing that DID get to me?

Was at that point (three pics down) where the flame was being transferred from one torch to another way down the street and we couldn't really see and the young women behind me started to sing Oh Canada kinda softly and it caught on and soon the whole crowd in our area was singing together and it was just lovely and touching and goose-pimply and filled me with pride and warmth and love.

And this is the team at Arrow (left to right)

Carson, Darren (behind the torchbearer), Steve, Brenda, Tarra and Denise.

Plus me, the photographer.

A tiny, hardworking team, taking an hour to celebrate our country, the Olympics and the beautiful weather in downtown Langley.

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. That I live in this place in this time in history.

2. That I had the opportunity to witness this once-in-a-lifetime-event (seriously. How often will an Olympic flame pass through the town I work and live in?)

3. My camera. It works again. All is right in my world.

Shalom,