I am off to an event that would have given my mother a smile of pleasure. She had a way with words and, for many years, she wrote the Upper Mills news for the St. Croix Courier and it was enjoyed by many people who didn’t even know anyone in Upper Mills. She did some writing and recalled her arrival in Canada in Homeland to Homeland, a personal essay published in Treasued Memories. My mother enjoyed the Chicken Soup for the Soul books and I still have some of her favourites.
The Spirit of Canada is now in stores and tomorrow I am flying to Toronto to attend the official launch because . . . one of my stories, Where Ravens Fly Backwards, is included in this celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday.
I am proud of my country and proud to be a contributor. Selma (Kater) Smith was born in Amsterdam but she embraced her new country with all her heart—I can not think of one way in which she was not Canadian. My mother will be in my heart and I know her spirit will be close as I am signing books and enjoying the launch of The Spirit of Canada.
Paths Taken 
Hi. Keep a copy with you for the next time I see you as I want to buy one! Interesting story title!
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Thanks for following and for your positive comment. Genealogy is only a tree with names if it doesn’t have the stories that go with the names. Stories bring life to the names and the time in which they lived. What part of Canada did your family line come from?
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The Providence of Quebec is where I and my wife have family lines that came to the U.S. Some of the names are Deloria, Bonnett, Guyette, Monty, Gonya, and others. I do have one line (Dakin) that moved to Digby, N.S., Canada at the end of the American Revolutionary War, as they were Loyalist. However many of them moved back to America within one or two generations. My wife and I are from Northern N.Y. and it is very common to have strong Canadian roots especially French Canadian.
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I hope you have a great time in Toronto, and congratulations on your short story being published. About half of our family lines comes from Canada and always enjoy ourselves when we visit.
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