In 2016, just weeks before a massive wildfire changed our lives forever, I made the decision to "close" McMurray Musings.
It was not a decision I made lightly; I had invested not weeks or months but years into this blog, pouring into it every possible effort in order to try to capture the faintest glimmer of the place I had come to love.
And, as occasionally happens, over time it had come to feel more like work than pleasure; more like something I "had to do" rather than "wanted to do". And so, with only a mild twinge of regret, I said good-bye, with the caveat that I would continue to blog at another site that would allow me a broader range of expression, beyond the confines of the borders of this community.
The trouble though is that what was in my heart - what begged to be let out in words - was this community.
Things have changed since April, 2016. The economic downturn - which we hoped was a blip - has continued. The fire that tore through our community changed our landscape - and our hearts. And time has marched on. And just as our community has changed, so have I.
One thing has not changed, however. My love for this community, while tested and tried, has never lessened. In fact, I think it deepened, as during that long evacuation - the month that felt like a year - I was forced to re-evaluate my connection to this place and the people it holds.
And during that re-evaluation, I recommitted to this community. I will admit at times it has faltered; I have feared for our future and for what is in store for us, as I have seen other resource communities buffeted by change they cannot control. But time and time again, I remembered why I was still here: because this is where my daughter grew up, and I want other children who grow up here to be as proud of their home town as she is.
Over the last four years, I wrote sporadically in that other blog, touching on my life here but also on other themes. But over time I learned that I missed this blog with an intensity I had not anticipated; I missed telling the stories of our people and places and events. I missed being able to share my life in Fort McMurray, Alberta, a place so deeply misunderstood, mis-characterized and mislabeled by those who have often never even seen it.
And so, here it is. The muse has returned, although in truth she never left, not physically or emotionally. At one time I thought I needed to distance myself from McMurray Musings, because I was more than that; but over time I have come to realize that while I am more, I am still McMurray Musings too, just an older, and hopefully wiser, version.
In the future of this blog - however long that might be, as I have learned that things change too quickly to commit too firmly - I hope to write about the things that made me love this community: the people who live here, the history, the beauty, the quirks and oddities and the things that make us who we are. And I will touch on our troubles too - the things that divide us, the issues we face and the challenges we have to meet, because I have never suggested Fort McMurray is utopia; it's just another town on the face of a very large planet, and like the rest it is not perfect (but it just happens to be perfect for me).
I hope you will consider joining me for this adventure. I considered redesigning the blog - changing up the colour or the photo or the logo - but in the end this is the classic McMurray Musings look. I am not sure I am still the classic Triple M, though, as I have learned a few things over the last four years (good things, bad things, funny things, awkward things, things I didn't need to know, things I wish I didn't know, whatever).
So pull up a seat. Maybe I will make you smile; maybe I will make you laugh. Maybe you will agree with me or maybe you will be angry with me; whatever the outcome, I accept it, as I have so missed being able to share the story of this ever-amusing, ever-changing and ever-baffling place I am so very proud to call home.
And, so here we go. Again.
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