Wawa

In the wake of  Superstorm Sandy
I want to talk about
Wawa.

No, not an infant's first words,
hands raised asking
for water, but a small town situated
along Lake Superior
in northern Ontario, Canada.


Just before Sandy,
a record amount of rain
flooded the outlying areas
of this town, collapsing
a huge section of  TransCanada
Highway 17.



I'm really not chasing stories of
loss and destruction.  If I  am
chasing anything it is stories
of hope and resilience.

Meet Mo and John,
owners of Northern Lights Motel.
in Wawa.  Scroll through their photos of the flood
damage to their motel but read
Mo's captions.

"We had plans of landscaping the backyard, 

but this wasn't quite what we had in mind."

In true Northern Ontario spirit
Mo refuses to let disaster dictate
her disposition.

"It's time to rebuild. We've more than LOVED this business

 and this is just another challenge along the way," Mo

writes.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find the

following quote on their website.  

"Throw yourself into some work you believe 

in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, 

and you will find happiness that you had 

thought could never be yours." Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)

Thank you Dale (and Mo) for the reminder.

.