Published at 12:57 am. Updated at 05:00.
No jokes: I laughed, I cried… Both because of the power of your anecdotes and because of the trust you give me by trusting me with all these parts of life. THANKS. Tomorrow there will be volume 2 of your 2023 flashes.
And save your leftover turkey, I'll be back soon with a chicken broth column as promised.
ANNIE PRESSEAULT: My mother. She worked in the garden and sewed. And genealogy: his passion for retirement. In the spring, she submitted her research on the pioneer families of the village where she was born. Shortly afterwards my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and left the country in the summer. Thanks to her, a small piece of history exists in a small village in Lac-Saint-Jean called Sainte-Hedwidge. Her name was Lyne Saint-Pierre.
MARIE-NOELLE TOUCHETTE: I am a mother of two teenagers and work from home. Mid forties but I'm an old couple with my boyfriend. A year ago we adopted a beautiful Weimaraner that we found in a field. I knew I was going crazy for wanting to buy him a pink bowl. But I underestimated the benefits of pet therapy for my stress and household climate. After dinner, I take 20 or 30 minutes and sit on the chaise longue of my couch: that's the signal that Luna is waiting to come to me. She falls asleep on my legs, it's my zen moment.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARIE-NOELLE TOUCHETTE
Luna
RICHARD MOUSSEAU: My year? It was Mélodie, our eldest, who overcame her stress and performed brilliantly at a concert. It was Angélie, our youngest, who left her cell phone aside to choose a sport, karate (she passed her yellow belt with flying colors). It was a difficult year for Chantal, my wife, but as a family we helped her get through it. We experience the ups and downs as a family.
LOUISE GAUDREAU: I've noticed a lot this year that the turn signals on cars have disappeared. As they get bigger and more expensive, they may just be optional!
VINCENT PICARD: My flash in 2023 is the birth of my first child in the same hospital where my grandmother received medical assistance in dying a few months ago. It shows that life is a turning wheel and that we need to celebrate life between the two.
ÉMILIE DOYON-PELOQUIN: I did my first half marathon. I had the best supporters who encouraged me.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ÉMILIE DOYON-PELOQUIN
Supporter of Émilie Doyon-Peloquin
DANIELLE B.: Seeing my son open for a better-known band. See the light in his eyes at this moment. I tell myself that I didn't miss everything…
PATRICK LEMAY: I am a trainer for forest seedling qualification teams for reforestation. I was just explaining how to define a fork on a two year old plant, which isn't always easy. The whole group looked at me doubtfully. Then my watch said, “I’m not sure I understand this…” There was a lot of laughter in the group. A beautiful example of artificial innocence, in the truest sense of the word…
DOMINIC BRÛLÉ: I couldn't find Maggie, my cat, anymore. By geolocating her, I saw that she was at the SPCA. That evening I went to the SPCA: a neighbor had hit Maggie and then wanted to drop her off at the SPCA, not knowing what to do. Maggie is dead, I got her bloody necklace. Three weeks later I'm standing outside my house. A woman stops: she was the one who hit Maggie. She explained the accident to me, how she put Maggie in a box with white tissue paper so that she wouldn't be left in the middle of the street. I held her in my arms, we cried together.
FRANCINE ROY: My 6-year-old grandson wanted to help me cook his bacon, which he loves. When I realized I was out of parchment paper to put on the bottom of my grill pan, I said to her, “Grandma's out of paper.” His response: Grandma, I'll get you toilet paper.
We love them, these little ones!
GILLES PAQUIN: Because of the tears, we had to go fishing with friends at the Obatogamau Outfitter on June 9th. On the 4th we found out the site was closed: forest fires. On the 7th we found a caravan in Gaspésie that had been spared from the fires. New destination, laughter until tears: We had a very good fishing trip.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY GILLES PAQUIN
Gilles Paquin and his fishing partners
DANIELE RAYMOND: My son had been waiting for a kidney for a long time, he had been on dialysis for two years. He had a kidney this year. It's amazing what this has done for him. A second life, a second chance. There are no words to describe my gratitude to this stranger who donated her organs.
FRANÇOIS CYR: I didn't believe it anymore, but in 2023 I received my greatest gift in life: love. It was June 26th in the cafe. Six months later, our story continues like a crescendo without a false note. It was no coincidence: after six years of support in the healthcare sector, fate offered me a nurse as the love of my life. I have found my childish heart.
JACINTHE MAJEAU: My son, 7 years old, is old enough to lose his pallets. Except his palettes won't leave his mouth. He is currently losing his second palette in… 2 weeks. Even the elves left an apple for the tooth to fall out, there was nothing to do. It's really trivial, I know, but for two weeks (and two weeks for the other tooth) I look at him and I can't help but smile when I see his little tooth coming out of his mouth. as if she was tired of being a tooth, that she was making fun of her mouth and playing us an absurd joke… and I am an excellent audience! The little nothing in life that makes it beautiful…
CLAUDE MIRON: A magical moment while hunting with my son in search of an elk in the Monts-Valin north of Saguenay that reminded me of the days I spent in nature with my own father.
RÉMI ROBERT: My friend Marie-Andrée: 45 years old, admirable woman, mother of two teenagers. Mid-June: She adopts three Inuit children and experiences thousands of adventures. Mid-August: She learns that she has something terrible: cancer. Since then she has fought like a champion. The prognosis is good. It's a great ray of sunshine in my year to see them go. I love him as a friend.
DIANE LIBERIO: Great joy: I found your recipe for stock for the turkey carcass and it was a revelation! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Columnist's response: Please send your little note to Mr. Cardinal, my boss, suggesting that he make me soup columnist.
HUBERT SALVAIL: My postcard for 2023 is a happy event that made me cry with joy: the opening of my research laboratory at the University of Central Florida, after my six years of biochemistry at Sherbrooke and my ten years at Yale. Leading an academic research team has been my goal since high school. I love my job, which allows me to train the scientists of tomorrow.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HUBERT SALVAIL
Hubert Salvail
Every day is different and brings new discoveries and joy as I see my students progress and marvel at the elegance and complexity of bacterial physiology. My laboratory is interested in the regulation of the stress response and virulence of the gastrointestinal pathogen Salmonella enterica. My work will contribute to a better understanding of how Salmonella and other bacterial pathogens of clinical importance resist antibiotics and manage to infect people.
CAROLINE: Here is a photo of my 15 year old teenager (14 at the time of the photo) traveling with his class without parents for a 10 day trip to Italy. Nothing out of the ordinary, you might say, but my son has ADHD and was flying for the first time. I was stressed about him forgetting his medication, losing his passport, his money or his phone.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CAROLINE
“ […] My son has ADHD, he flew for the first time,” writes our reader.
The mother had to learn to deal with herself!
This trip made me laugh at all the anecdotes he shared with his group of friends. This trip made me cry as I saw him leave in peace like the great man he has become, made me smile as I looked at all the photos the messenger sent me that evening, and I realized he was stumbling like a madman.
ISABELLE DROUIN: On January 13th I was hit by an SUV. I found myself face down in the middle of the street and couldn't get up. Passers-by immediately called the emergency services. There was even a man who put his coat on me because I was cold. I noticed how well the machine ran. Fire brigade, police, ambulance, I was examined and finally taken to Santa Cabrini. I was taken care of quickly. Finally, dislocation of the right arm and fracture of the humeral head. Subsequently, a complaint to the SAAQ, interruption of work, physiotherapeutic treatments. Returned to telework part-time one month after the accident. Return to full-time work in April. There are many criticisms of the healthcare system, but I felt privileged to live in a society where healthcare is assured and compensation is possible.
FRANCE CADIEUX-ROY: This year, at the age of 65, I simultaneously received my first retirement check… my first tattoo in my life. A very small tree with very small roots, but still very present. It reminds me that I live in a world that can be beautiful, with people who can be good.
I have edited some comments for clarity and brevity. Tomorrow the rest of your life.