The roots of Moncton's healing?

Ten years ago, my wife and I moved to the Hildegard area of Moncton with the intent of starting a family and putting down roots in our new home. Eight years ago today, we were planting a tree in our backyard as part of the healing process we were going through after our first pregnancy was lost.

If you’ve been reading this column for any length of time, you will know that our desire to start a family ended up a very successful endeavor and we are now the proud parents of two amazing little boys.  The oldest of those little boys is someone who I gladly shuttle out the door every morning so he can get himself a top-notch first grade education.

Every day, as I drive my son to school, I drive past the spots where the events of June 4^th played out last year. I remember the media assembled at the intersection of Mountain Road and Hildegard, the police tape stretched along the wrought iron fence just before you turn on Shannon Drive and, without fail, my eyes are drawn to the laminated letter and plastic flowers that still remain fastened to a telephone pole on the corner of Mailhot Street.

Every morning, I’m reminded of the eerie silence that fell over our neighborhood while we were in the middle of a lockdown zone, watching as a city waited for the capture of a rogue shooter who had taken the lives of three of our police officers. Even as I drop my son off, I wonder what would have happened on that Wednesday last year if everything had gone down while our children were still in school.  The thought of being separated from my son during that ordeal is unfathomable.

If I can be completely honest, despite the block parties and bicycle rallies that have taken place over the last year, the stretch of road named Hildegard Drive has been a constant reminder of a time that I would just as soon forget. For almost a year, home has felt like anything but.

My neighborhood looks a lot different lately, though.

A couple of weekends ago, a community group saw their fundraising efforts come to fruition when three rows of trees were planted to line each side of Hildegard Drive. They serve as a reminder of the events that took place in the north end of our city last June and a tribute to the three slain officers whose lives were lost on the streets of our north end subdivisions. There were 74 trees planted in all, with a trio of maple trees gathered together to honor the memories of the perished RCMP.

I haven’t taken my eyes off them in a week.

As with anything that happens in this city, there are some folks that have nothing but negative things to say about this gesture. They call it a waste of money, a pointless exercise to seek attention, or an overreaction to an incident that now should be a part of our ancient history. Some people have even called it “flat out stupid”.  I couldn’t disagree more.

When my wife and I planted our little tree at the far corner of our back yard all those years ago, it was more than just a bit of landscaping to us. It was a tangible thing that we could have to help us move ahead and give us some hope after a devastating personal loss. It serves as a constant reminder that things get better and that things can thrive, even after tragedy.  It reminds us that no matter what, life goes on.

It’s a pretty special little tree.

To me, the topiary that now lines Hildegard is pretty special too. It has given us a face lift and a fresh coat of paint to cover over last year’s memories. They’ve altered the landscape to where Hildegard Drive will no longer look like that road that was broadcast over and over again on countless news programs while our nightmare played out in front of the rest of Canada and, for that matter, North America.  They’ve added life to where lives were lost.   They remind us that life goes on in the north end.

Instead of constantly being reminded of what happened on these streets last year, I now envision what the street will look like with a beautiful canopy of branches and boughs covering both sides of it. Every morning now, my son and I count the trees that line Hildegard Drive as I drive him to school. We talk about what a positive thing planting them was, and how they will be around for a hundred years from now when the memories of June 4^th have become mere echoes of the raw emotion they are today.

There’s an old Chinese proverb that goes something like, “Keep a green tree in your heart and a singing bird will come.” Here’s hoping the trees of Hildegard will bring some of the music back to Moncton’s north end.