At this time of the year, when the Christmas festivities are over and we're looking forward to starting off a new year fresh, many people like to take a look back over the past 12 months to see where we've come from, as we look ahead to where we're going in the year-to-come.
Depending on what kind of year one has had, some people would just as soon forget about 2011, write it off to experience, and move forward with the new year.
I can respect that, particularly if it's been especially trying - and I can see that 2011 was trying in many ways for many people. This was a bad year, for example, if one considers the flooding we've had from a heavy winter, wet spring with a high runoff, and then heavy rains that culminated in that downpour on June 17 which edged the Souris over its banks, along with related creeks and rivers in the area, like the Roughbark in the Radville area.
Anywhere I run into people, whether a town resident or someone living on a farm or acreage or in another smaller town, there are stories about what they had to put up with in regards to the flooding, or what they're still going through in the case of farmers who still have land under water.
Some people are watching this winter's weather anxiously; so far, it's not only been really mild, but there's hardly been any snow, which is actually good news for many people dealing with a high water table on their land.
The winter's not over, mind you, but the way it looks at this point, at the end of 2011, it might work out okay by spring time - but time will tell.
Here in Weyburn itself, seeing the Souris overflowing the Government Road bridge and Highway 39 was unbelievable, as was the problem of sewage and water backing up into people's basements, which caused huge headaches for businesses, homes and non-profit groups like the Family Place and the Salvation Army.
The saving grace that I saw in action was the many volunteers who stepped up to help during the flood crisis, and many groups, clubs, businesses and individuals who continued to help after the crisis subsided, but left many problems behind.
To hear how companies came forward to help, and of course volunteers to man pumps, or run fundraisers for groups like the Salvation Army and the Family Place, was heart-warming to say the least.
I hope that in some ways, at least, the community came out stronger, and closer, as a result of working together to make things happen. Plus, it was a bonus that the local economy did well, and this in turn enabled some help to be extended to where it was needed. Let's hope for more of the same in 2012.
