My Books For Your Reading Pleasure

My Books For Your Reading Pleasure
Proud Indie Author

Saturday, March 16, 2024

My Irish Connection

 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

I'm many generations Canadian but this is my Irish connection.

My maternal grandmother was a Dawson.  I'm told the Dawson family originated in France way back in the 16th century where the name was D'Ossine (sp).   When the D'Ossines left France and settled in Ireland the name was changed to Dawson. 

One of my ancestors, Richard Dawson, of Monaghan County, Ireland is my Irish connection.

The Dawson family who came to the area in the 17th century has been the main benefactor of the parish ever since. It was Richard Dawson, a banker and Dublin alderman, who in 1729 built the present (Church of Ireland) church on the Dartrey estate. It was established in its own separate parish of Ematris soon after. 

The Dawsons added a north gallery to the church in 1769, and much later the Corry family (from Rockcorry) added a south gallery, raised on arches to avoid desecrating the burial ground beneath it. A fire caused serious damaged in 1811 leaving the church for a period without a roof. The fine west tower was built in 1840, and the sanctuary apse (centre above) in 1870. 

With the demolition of the Dawson mansion in 1950, and their once thriving estate turned over to forestry, St John’s appears isolated. However it shares services with St James’ church, Rockcorry some 2½ miles away, which the Dawsons built in 1855, and both churches continue well supported by the local farming community. 

But the view from St John’s cemetery across Inner Lough, once described as “one of the best in Ireland”, is currently obscured by conifers:

I still hope to get to Ireland one day to see the Dawson Monument.



Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Dull Women's Club

 It wasn't until today that I knew there is a Dull Women's Club. The name jumped out at me and invited me to join. Kudos to the individual(s) who started this club.

I don't know if my life qualifies or is dull enough to warrant membership. Since Brian passed away seven years ago, I live alone with my little cat Misty in a small apartment in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada.
I moved from house to apartment after a few years trying to upkeep and maintain the house on my own. I don't really miss my house so much, but I do miss my backyard garden. I've tried to remedy this situation by buying a camp which, in my case, is a small trailer with an add-on of a couple of rooms. In itself, it's cozy and I love it but mostly I love the park in which it sits. I call it my 'tiny house' and I can make use of it only in the summer, early autumn months. The park is closed during our cold Canadian winters. A short walk from my little trailer is a lovely lake, a small beach, and the park provides some lovely roads for many quiet walk-abouts.
The majority of things I enjoy doing require that I be alone; for example, I love to read, to write, to paint pictures, to meditate.
Not to be an isolationist, I do participate with friends and family in social visits and activities. I'm a member of a writers' group and also I recently joined the Red Hat Society. Both of these groups meet once a month so they do serve well to get me out of the house to spend time with others.
I don't know if another would say my life is dull or not. Compared to the lives of many younger people, I'm quite sure it is. But I've reached a time in my life where in order to feel happy, I pray for the peace and happiness of those I care about. Happy is a fleeting emotion. Contentment is more abiding and I believe it is perhaps the best word I can choose to describe the way I feel about my life.
The majority of my time is spent alone with my God, and with my cat who is a wonderful companion. I very much look forward to hearing the stories shared by others who are members in this Dull Women''s Club. We may discover that we are not so dull as we think after all. :-) <3


Monday, February 19, 2024

Family Day 2024

 FAMILY DAY 2024


My sister, Linda, has done a lot of work on the genealogy of my maternal grandmother's family which was the Dawson family.   I understand that this side of my family originated somewhere in France but that, at some point in history, they moved to Ireland where the name Dossine (sp) was changed to Dawson.

I met my maternal grandmother only once.  She lived in her home on P.E.I. and that's where my mother, aunts and uncles were born.    I was five years old when I traveled with my Mom and my sister to the little Village of Tryon.  

I don't have a lot of memories of that visit but I do remember meeting my Grandma.  Unfortunately she passed away when I was still a young child so I didn't have the opportunity to get to know her well.  I never had the opportunity to meet my maternal grandfather.

My Mom was born in Tryon in 1906, and that is where she lived with her parents and siblings until the family later made a move to the City of Summerside.   My Mom was living and working as a legal secretary in Summerside when she met my Dad.

My Dad was born in 1906.  His mother, my paternal Grandmother, had passed away and my Grandfather later married for the second time.

My  paternal grandfather was, as I remember, a big, tall man.  He worked as the Jailer in the Springhill Jail, Nova Scotia.   

I met him on the same trip when I was five years old.  It was a thrilling experience as I recall that we kids were allowed to spend the night in a jail cell.  So exciting!  I'm thankful today to say that it is the only night I've ever spent in a jail.

I did not meet my paternal grandmother but I did meet my grandad's second wife, Florence.  I was never close to her and, in fact, I didn't care for her much when I was a young child.  She had been employed as pianist for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, I was told.  Yet, when I asked her if she would help me to learn how to play piano, she refused.  That, in itself, was enough for me to dislike her.  

My Mom and Dad met in Summerside, were married there in the Presbyterian Church.  They made their home in Summerside, had two children, my big sister, Eleanor, and my big brother, Ken.  Sadly both these siblings have passed away.

During the ugly depression days, in the dirty thirties, my Dad moved to Toronto leaving my Mom and siblings on P.E.I. with family members.  Once he was employed and had found a home for the family, my parents reunited.   In Toronto four more children were born to my parents.  My big sister, Muriel, sadly passed away at too early an age, a victim of cancer.  

I'm now the oldest of our three remaining siblings.  My sister, Linda, is 4 years younger; my brother, Ray almost 3 years younger.   Today we are all seniors, all with children and grandchildren.   

My mother was blessed to become a grandmother, but my Dad, sadly passed away at the young age of 49.  He did not survive to meet all the beautiful children that later joined our family.

Today, I am very proud mom to two beautiful daughters, grandmother to three handsome and intelligent grandsons; great-gram to one pretty, energetic three year old girl, and soon to be great-gram to another little girl this coming June.

Family means the world to me.  I consider myself blessed to love and to be loved by so many.

There was no such thing as 'Family Day' when I was a young Mom raising my kids.  I think it's a wonderful idea and, today, with both parents often working outside the home, the long weekend gives a family the time to relax together and to enjoy each other's company.

I wish everyone a very Happy Family Day, 2024!  

Below is an AI picture that I put together to honour this occasion.   When I was a child, our family spent many, many evenings gathered around the table playing board games, word games, all kinds of fun games.  I don't know if families still do this today or not.  Maybe everyone is off by himself, phone in hand.   I know these family game times were an important part of my childhood and I hold them close in my happy memories of a long-ago childhood.  




Thursday, January 4, 2024

MORE POartRY and PROSE

 Look what arrived this morning! This may be my 26th publication, but the joy I feel holding

a new book in my hand is always exciting. I have just this one copy today ....... but I've ordered

five more so please tell me you want one.

🙂 This book, second in a series of books containing the trilogy of visual art, poetry, and prose,
is $15.

Also available online but a little money savings now buying from me directly. My author's page

Link to MORE POartRY and PROSE:





Sunday, December 31, 2023

Sara, a Canadian Saga

 https://www.amazon.ca/SARA.../dp/B00H0H33JG/ref=sr_1_1...

And the first shall be last! Sara, a Canadian Saga, apart from a few articles and short stories, is my very first important publication. Sara is my first novel published by Wynterblue Publishing Company. This post about Sara shall be my last post about my publications in 2023. Sara received many positive reviews and, because of Sara's success, I have continued to write creatively over several years.
If you haven't read Sara, a Canadian Saga yet, then I do hope you will order a copy. Sara is available in Kindle, Paperback and Audiobook formats exclusively on all Amazon sites.
The time is 1916. Sara is a 10 year old girl in rural Prince Edward Island. Roy is a 10 year old boy in mining town, Nova Scotia. Through their eyes we see, feel and experience their childhood challenges. We follow them through adolescence and their turbulent teen years. We celebrate their courtship and suffer their lost innocence in the wedding ritual. They take us through the Great Depression and share with us the frustrations, dreams and challenges they face in adulthood. As parents they introduce us to their children. This story appeals to all ages because Sara and Roy hold up a mirror and ask the reader to recognize truth about the human condition for many Canadian families through difficult economic times. We witness love that does not come neatly wrapped and experience the quiet, sometimes desperate, drama of lives unfolding.
Some of the many positive reviews received by SARA:
Top reviews from Canada
Rhonda Woodworth-Tardif
4.0 out of 5 stars A very real story
Reviewed in Canada on August 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
Sara, A Canadian Saga is a poignant story about life during the depression on Prince Edward Island, Canada. One feels the hopes and dreams, and also the disappointments of Roy and Sara. I found the story to be so real I wanted to give Roy a shaking for his temper tantrums and Sara for acting like her mother. Their love, through all their trials, was refreshing. The author didn't tell you they still loved one another, but showed it, which takes some skill. It's not an exciting, edge of your seat kind of story, but a story about people who seem so real they could be your mother or sister. People who do ordinary, stupid things. I found myself wishing that Rebecca could have seen the good things in her life before they were gone, but understanding how the same thing happens to so many people. The author does a great job of creating very real characters. I liked the story.
Nadia E. Toski
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Reviewed in Canada on March 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
So enjoyed reading this book! Very well written! My first time reading Audrey Austin's books and will definitely read more of them!
Top reviews from other countries
Barbara Mojica
4.0 out of 5 stars STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
This novel of historical fiction begins in the maritime provinces in Canada in 1916. It features two protagonists Sara and Roy, who are both age ten at the time. The reader experiences their struggles as children determined to succeed in troubled families whose lives are complicated further by the Depression years. Roy vows to “make something of himself”: Sara works hard to be an independent woman able to support herself.
When Sara and Roy meet and fall in love, circumstances will force them into the same unhappy lives that plagued their parents. Sara’s father is broken by the loss of his business; Luke loses his mother and detests his father’s remarriage. After Roy and Sara marry, the economy will turn sour, Luke loses one job after another. Sara gives up her good secretarial job to follow Luke. Not long after children are born who turn out to be much like their bickering parents. Eventually, Sara and Roy will be separated as he is forced to move to the city of Toronto to find employment. Finally things seem to be improving economically, but their personal struggles intensify.
Despite the turmoil, their family seems to be able to overcome one obstacle after the other. Luke and Sara both have conflicting personalities which are mirrored in their offspring, yet the family always manages to survive, The novel ends in 1942 with Sara rediscovering her childhood journal and reflecting upon her life.
I enjoyed learning about the history of Canada during this time period. The characters are well developed and true to life. This novel is a wonderful coming of age book for children age twelve and older. It is realistic family fiction that is an engaging quick read. If you enjoy historical fiction with strong compelling characters, this book is a good choice.
Michelle cooper
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a superb book,the story of Sara and Roy is told so beautifully,I thoroughly enjoyed their story through their courtship.to adulthood,it was nice to read,and couldn't put it down at times,Audrey has become one of my favorite authors,and I have already downloaded a couple of freebies of hers today and will be using my Prime library to download one each month in the future,well done for an excellent read.




Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Setting a Goal for 2024

Another Christmas is over.  And we look ahead to a new year.  

I also look ahead to a new year and pray that it will be a better one for our world than the one we are currently sharing.   For too many of our neighbours, the gifts received during 2023 are hunger, poverty, illness, violence, hatred and war.  

Yes, there are pockets of light in this dark world.  We all need to let our light shine.

Setting a goal for the new year is always a good idea.   Mine is to write THE Great Canadian Novel.  I have my idea.  I've begun my research and I plan to have my 26th publication available before Christmas of 2024.  I don't have a title yet.  Once I do, I'll let you know.

If setting a goal is too big a challenge in these difficult times, then having a direction is a good place to start.   Take the first step and then the next.  If there is the occasional backward step, that's okay.  It's okay because you have your direction firmly in your mind and sometimes, surprisingly, what seems like a backward step is a necessity allowing you to see greater possibilities.

Despite personal losses, periods of illness, moments of indecision, 2023 has been good to me.  I hope it has been good to you too.

I wish my readers all good things coming your way in 2024.  Most of all, I wish you peace and love - just like the hippies back in the sixties.    Loving one another!  What a victory that would be for our world!  To love our neighbour as we love ourselves sounds like a simple matter, doesn't it?

But most of us have learned the lesson.  We have learned that it is not always easy to be simple.

To my fellow authors, keep that ink flowing!  Don't be discouraged.  Take the first step.  Set your writing goal for 2024.

One of my favourite movies from back in the nineties, is The City of Joy.   I think of Hasari's father who said to his son,  "Remember, a man's journey to the end of his obligations is a very long road.  It may not be what you expect." 

When we set a goal, choose a direction, take the first step, we are demonstrating intention.   

Having said that, I immediately think of my dear mother who often shared the cliche, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Still we take the steps.   Set your goal.  Choose your direction.  Mostly, I wish you peace as we look ahead with hope to a new year.

Thursday, December 21, 2023

MORE POartRY and PROSE

 I am very excited to announce my new release exclusively on Amazon.  MORE POartRY and PROSE  is now available in both Paperback and Kindle formats.

In this book I celebrate the trinity of creative writing, painting, and poetry.    The second book in a series, MORE POartRY and PROSE joins POartRY and PROSE for your reading and viewing pleasure.

Although these books come in both Kindle and Paperback formats I recommend you choose the Paperback to enjoy the artwork in colour.  Kindle is okay but the paintings are presented in only black and white.

I hope you will enjoy both books and thank you to my readers for your continued encouragement and support.   

My author's page is found at https://amazon.com/author/audreyaustin




Sunday, December 17, 2023

Life is good and life goes on..........

 My dear sister, Eleanor, passed away this morning, December 17, 2023.   I'm one of six siblings.  My elder brother, Ken, passed away in 2017.  My lovely sister, Muriel, passed away in 2005.   My husband, John, father of my children, died fairly recently.  My dear Brian passed away August 29, 2017.   My mother made her transition in 1990 and I was just a child of thirteen when my father died.

I have also lost grandparents, mother-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, many dear friends and many precious pets who have passed away.

I am well acquainted with grief and loss.  There are many beautiful people I have been blessed to know and love.

Still, I believe that life is good and life goes on.

I believe in life after death - life everlasting.   

Very recently I was quite ill with covid which, combined with COPD, gave me a very nasty month to endure.  At one point prior to my trip to our local hospital's emergency department I seriously thought that perhaps it was my time to leave.    Thankfully, I have survived.

I've always said that I am unafraid of death but I do fear pain and suffering.  I know that fear is the opposite to love.  I am trying to release myself from that fear because, for most humans, pain and suffering is the inevitable introduction to death.  

Once we die, we are alive again, and we are able to leave all pain and suffering behind as we continue our life adventure.

I loved my dear sister and I have loved many who have passed.  My love for them is alive and well.

Rest in peace, dear Eleanor.  May you be peacefully reunited with all those you have loved who have passed before you.  Life is good and life goes on.  xoxoxox




Saturday, December 9, 2023

Covid

Today is Saturday, December 9, 2023.  Here in Elliot Lake, it is a mild but rainy day.  

Thankfully, my covid experience is on its way out.   Symptoms like a cough, shortness of breath, and tiredness remain but each day I am feeling a little more like my healthier self.

Covid has given me a most undesirable, sometimes frightening, month.  At one point, when I could not catch a breath, I was most grateful to my grandson who wasted no time getting me into the emergency department of our local hospital.

My underlying COPD condition assisted the nasty covid to do its best to stop me in my tracks.   I truly thought maybe it was time for me to exit the planet.

Believing transition was a good possibility, my biggest concern was my little cat, Misty.  Who would care for her?  Who would love her as she deserves to be loved?


Today I know I need to do one of two things.  I must outlive my adorable little Misty.  Or I must find someone willing to share their home with her should I need to leave.

I found no pleasure in feeling unmotivated to paint, to write, to cook, to clean, to do anything.   At the same time, I allowed myself to slip into the tiredness allowing it to be what it needed to be.  

I do not like to take medication but I am very grateful for that received.   Breathing became less a challenge in time.

Finally, I tested negative for covid.  I wish it on no one and I pray I will never experience it again.

I am living in a complex, complicated world.  It isn't always easy to remember to be in the world but not of the world.   But I try.  I'm told God loves a tryer and I know I must be found very trying.

I am an old lady, yet even this old lady can attest to the fact that life is very short.  Monday, Friday, Monday, Friday over many years, many events, many discouragements, many successes, many memories have come and have gone.  

I think of my friend, Jane, who asks why.  Why do we have war?  Why is there hunger?  Why can't we all just get along?    

When will we ever learn?   Never?  Too much time is squandered.

The most wise man said, "love one another".   It sounds like a simple thing to do.  But, I guess, it's not always easy to be simple.

In this world of darkness please keep your light shining.  

Sing your songs, paint your pictures, write your stories, love your neighbour, and take good care of yourself and those you love.

Trust the power of love, the power of one.   Do your best!  That, I guess, is all any one of us can do.

And, since this is my books' blog, thanks for buying a book or two.  

Thanks for listening.  

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Moose Road, a Canadian Tragedy

 Moose Road, a Canadian Tragedy has received many positive reviews.  Let me 

share one of them with you.

A review by Alan Black
5.0 out of 5 stars Tragic and compelling

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2014

Verified Purchase
Austin has written a not so simple story, weaving the lives of multiple residents on 
Moose Road around one tragic accident that leaves no one on the road or in the nearby
Northern Ontario Canada town untouched. The subplots tug at our desire to comfort 
some residents of this town with a hug and those same subplots yank at our exasperation
 switch yelling at us to slap sense into some of these same people. The main story cries
 for our attention and gets it.

Austin is able to show us one tragedy from every point of view except the moose. The
characters are so real that I wonder what Austin's neighbors thought about having their
secret lives dragged into the public view. I started this book just to have something to 
read in between my own chores. However... to heck with the chores, I finished the book
 in one sitting.

Moose Road, a Canadian Tragedy is available exclusively on Amazon in both 
Kindle and Paperback formats.  It is also available as an audiobook on Amazon, 
Audibles, and ITunes for your listening pleasure.

Thanks for visiting my author's page at https://amazon.com/author/audreyaustin   

Audio Book Cover

Paperback Cover




Sunday, November 5, 2023

My 24 paperback publications

 



These are the very first copies of my 24 paperback publications exclusively on Amazon.

Please check out my books at my author's page at https://amazon.com/author/audreyaustin



 

POartRY and PROSE

 Creative Writing is my passion. Creating paintings with oil or acrylic paints is also my passion. POartRY and PROSE is the marriage of the two.

To create POartRY and PROSE, I began by posting the photos of some of the many paintings I have created. Then, beginning with the first painting, I looked at it before simply allowing words to flow.
With regard to the cover painting these were my feelings. As the river disappears behind the mountain, I feel the urge to follow it. I want to know what lies behind the mountain.
As I filled these pages with words, I had no idea what I would be thinking about, writing about, praying about. I had no agenda. I simply followed the river of photos of my paintings.
When the river flowed behind the mountain of another page, I hung onto the urge, and I followed it.
When I was faced with another painting, I was faced with a decision. What shall I write? Will I write a poem? Will I write prose?
This manuscript has been a writing adventure. I had no idea what I would write until I began writing.
And how does this creation of a manuscript differ from the way I live, and have lived, and will live my life?
I am open to life. I am prepared to meet whatever it may offer. I wish you, my readers, the same.
And now I continue this writing adventure. I'm just over 10,000 words written in the second book of the POartRY series. Its title is MORE POartRY and PROSE.
I hope to have this book ready to join its sister in time for Christmas shopping on all Amazon sites. 🙂 ❤
Thanks for checking out my author's page at https://amazon.com/author/audreyaustin






Thursday, October 26, 2023

The Man on the Bench


 This short story is free in the Kindle store for your reading enjoyment on Sunday, October 29th, 2023.  

Cover photo:  Kathleen Burke 

https://amazon.com/author/audreyaustin

Confidential Counseling

 

                            “CONFIDENTIAL COUNSELING”

 


    

“Empowering Table Talk for Women”

You may feel alone walking your path toward personal growth and spiritual development.  Talk, Experiential, or Art therapy, to name a few examples, may be just what you are seeking.

You may be on a journey of emotional healing.  You may be grieving losses, dealing with relationship issues, or any one of many personal issues.

You may want and need an opportunity to talk with someone about confidential matters.

Over the years, here in Elliot Lake, in addition to authoring books focused on social issues,  I have offered personal counseling, in addition to meditation circles and healing workshops. 

It has been my pleasure to facilitate classes and Empowerment Workshops for  Women on topics including “Emotional Healing”;  “Grieving our Losses”; “Relationship Issues”; “Is Age Just a Number?”; Meeting Your Inner Child”; “The 7 Major Chakras”;  “Letting Go”; and “Forgiveness” to name a few.

I am a retired psychospiritual practitioner but through Confidential Counseling I am offering  Empowering Table Talk for women one day per week. 

I am offering four individual one-hour sessions Thursdays, at 10 a.m., Noon; 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

For more information or to book your appointment you can email me: audrey@persona.ca or you can message me on Facebook.

Let’s talk about it.  

Friday, September 8, 2023

THE LINEN CUPBOARD - Free this Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in the Kindle Store

 It is moving day; a most difficult time. Not only is she saying good-bye to the house but also to her mother. She feels okay though, keeping herself together, until she reaches the linen cupboard..

This Sunday, September 10, 2023, The Linen Cupboard, a short story, is FREE for your reading pleasure in the kindle store.
Top review from Canada
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Memories
Reviewed in Canada on November 23, 2015
Verified Purchase
This story brought back many loving memories of my Grandmother and her house. I can even remember the linen closet.

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Being Old

 I'm blessed to enjoy the companionship, love, and time shared with friends and family today.  

Although I've grown used to it, I am sometimes left to wonder why no one I know is older than me.  How on earth did this happen?

I have amazing happy memories of dear friends and family members who are no longer sharing the adventure of life on this planet.  I believe they are not far, and I hold them close to me in my memory, in my thoughts, and in my heart.

I also have very happy memories of time spent with other dear friends and family who, of necessity, have left my small town and are now living in other, usually larger, centres to be near to their children or other family members.

I miss these good people.

I miss the wonderful friendships and the gift of their support of my writing adventures.   I miss the laughter, the closeness, the wonderful sharing within these strong friendships.  

There are still a very few of these dear, old friends who remain in touch through the internet.  I'm thinking of the lovely Shirley and the clever Lucy who loved to play with my long hair when she sat behind me in church.   I treasure my time spent with the very spiritual, caring Marleen.  And I'm thinking of the talented Goldie who worked so hard beside me as we prepared what has, so far, been the only Writers'  Festival in Elliot Lake.

But the sad reality is that the majority of my dear old friends are alive only in my fond memories.  

This is something that is not always easy to deal with as I continue to be old.   It is not always the easiest thing in the world to make new close friendships late in life.  It is not always a good feeling to know that no one is older than me.

How blessed I am that the wonderful younger people in my life share their time and include me in their activities.    How blessed I am that I am given the opportunity to enjoy my retirement; to stay busy and useful with my work; to enjoy my passions of painting and writing.  How blessed I am that my closest family members live nearby and are counted as my best friends.

Being old is a gift.   It has its own challenges and its own rewards.  

Since this blog is about my writing adventures, I guess it won't hurt to mention that I have not done a lot of creative writing about age and aging however I have done a little.  

The characters in  When God Gives Us Spring share their later years with a reader.   Sara is left alone after the too early death of her husband.  Ellen shares her memoirs from childhood to old age when she, sadly, endures Alzheimer Disease.  She even shares her personal death, ascension experience.

So the topic of being old has not been totally ignored in my creative writing.  Nor has it been ignored in my painting.  I am not a portrait painter.  I'm a wanna be portrait painter.   But I do attempt to paint people and some of them are far from young.

There is beauty in aging and I make my own attempt to not only paint it, but to live it.

Thanks for listening.  And thanks for buying a book or a painting from this old lady.  xoxox  https://amazon.com/author/audreyaustin

Below are some of my paintings of others who, if not already there, are on their way to 'being old'.  :-)



















Friday, September 1, 2023

Moose Road - a Canadian Tragedy

 Excerpt from: 

 Road, a Canadian Tragedy by Audrey Austin

Chapter One: SEVEN DWELL NEAR

 “Tell me a story, tell me a story, tell me a story and remember what you said.” Ever since that terrible day of the tragic accident each of the residents who live by my side has a tale to tell. Yes, everyone has a story and each story teller speaks his own truth. What I do find curious is the fact that no two stories are alike. Each is unique in its own way. I am of the opinion that truth is multi-sided and speaks from many hearts.

 A very long time ago I heard someone repeat the words of Winston Churchill who is purported to have said, “The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” Yes, indeed, there it is. Truth is multi-sided and it dares to speak from many hearts. I have been around for a very long time. I existed in this very location even before man decided to give me a name. I guess that makes me old and, that being the case, I confess I am very old. I was here before any person chose this place to build a home. 

 I have always thought I possessed a firm grasp on reality but since the day of the tragedy I am questioning for the first time the meaning and the impact of truth. I have more questions than answers. Is it possible that truth is, indeed, no more than one’s personal perception? Each individual’s truth, until shared, is locked in a sacred space in one’s memory. Memory does have its share of weakness. It can be faulty. As weeks turn into months memory is often tested.

 “Tell me a story and remember what you said. ”I find it very interesting that the residents of the seven farms impacted by the tragedy each retain a different personal memory of the accident and its aftermath. Although I am well aware that it would not occur to any ordinary human that an old long-travelled country road could possibly have the capacity to remember, I can assure you that I do. Yes, indeed, I do have a memory. Even though I am very old it remains a good one. I do remember well. 

Some thoughts give me reason to smile while other memories I would prefer to forget. I have learned that the more painful memories are the most stubborn; the least likely to be forgotten and the most likely to be remembered. Even when a human believes he has managed to bury a painful memory he has not. That remembrance will pop up like a jack-in-the-box. It will present itself at the most odd and unexpected of times and sometimes even in the form of a recurrent dream. 

Of course, I am not a human. I can assure you that I am a no nonsense road; plain, practical and from my very first appearance on earth many generations ago I have made it my focused mission to do my duty and fulfill my purpose as I see fit. I have always taken great pride in my existence and to this very day I do my best to serve those who choose to travel upon my surface. Unlike humans who are, I have learned, sometimes very superficial creatures, I am not shallow. I don’t blame the travelers for being unable to see beneath my surface. But I assure you I am not just the visible thin layer of gravel you might observe at first glance. I do have substance. 

Yes, I am old now. I have been here in this spot in northern Ontario, Canada for many interesting and enduring lifetimes. Although I am a road less travelled I am still in pretty good shape. I expect I’ll be here for a few more generations. I can see no good reason why I should not continue to be here. I have never existed anywhere else on this earth and this is my home.




Moose Road, a Canadian Tragedy is available in Kindle, Paperback, and Audiobook formats.

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