On the morning of June 30, I walked across campus to visit the first evacuees from northern Saskatchewan who've been brought to the University of Regina to escape the forest fires threatening their communities. As I joined a group of older people at a table, I asked how they were doing. As one might expect under the circumstances, they were rather shy, but soon shared where they are from, and a little about their families. After a few moments, they talked about how fires had forced them to leave their homes - and in many cases, family members - with little more than the clothes on their backs. I was astonished by the calm, matter-of-fact way in which they told their stories. Far from complaining about their situation, they instead expressed gratitude for the assistance they have received from so many people and organizations, such as the Red Cross, the provincial government, and the brave men and women fighting the fires.