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8/20/2023 0 Comments MaryMary was born in British Guyana in 1931. She believes we make our own happiness. Today she is 92 years old. Mary was married for 65 years before her husband passed at 95 years of age. He was a good man whom she cared for until he went into hospital for two months and passed away.
Mary met her husband as a bridesmaid at his brother’s wedding. They married a year after he completed teachers’ training college. He taught in Guyana. Together the couple raised seven children: five boys and two girls. Today one of their children is deceased, four live in Edmonton, one in Toronto and one in New York. They come by to visit her, but Mary says not often enough. Her oldest daughter sponsored her parents coming to Canada. Arriving from Guyana, where English is spoken, Mary adjusted well. But the cold weather of Alberta was challenging. Her approach to cold is to forget it, or she suggests: tell yourself what you’ll wear to beat the cold. She found trees without leaves in Canada a mystery. Without their leaves, trees in Guyana are dead. She was surprised trees sprouted leaves and grew again in spring. Mary loves Canadian autumn when leaves change colour. Mary believes independence from Britain was good for Guyana. There were restrictions for the Guyanese under British rule. The colonial habit changed with Independence but politics remained corrupt in Guyana, just as they are in Canada Mary states. Mary misses a freedom she recalls when Guyanese people celebrated every culture’s main holidays. Mary did not work outside her home until her last child was ready for kindergarten. At home she sewed and baked wedding cakes for the community to help support her family. Her mother desired Mary to be a nurse but she could not tolerate the sight of blood. Mary did eventually become a trained caregiver to older adults here in Edmonton which she really enjoyed. The sequential loss of her husband and beloved son over the last few years has taken a toll on Mary who is now oxygen dependent. Mary enjoyed travel. Her favourite trip was to South Africa. She admires Nelson Mandela who endured hardship to promote change. Another highlight in Jerusalem was riding a camel. She enjoys reading Prime Time, a senior’s paper. She reflects, the move to Canada was good but in her heart, Mary will always be Guyanese.
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8/20/2023 0 Comments JayJay declares that he is now an ‘old guy’, laughing. Relaxed and even tempered, he describes his skin as dark, his eyes brown, worrying that he may be too dark for portraiture!
Born 1942 in Madras State in Southern India, he was a small baby who grew to be a five-foot seven-inch adult. The second oldest, he had two brothers and two sisters. His older brother passed away. His parents were teachers working where the family lived in Ethiopia and beyond. Jay attended school in Madras at Saint Bede’s School to standard 11 after which, he started college. Jay recalls his father was a taskmaster who taught him well. In 1961, at 18 years of age, Jay came to Canada with his parents, both of whom taught for the North Peace School Division. The family lived in Grimshaw. Jay wanted to attend university, but was refused entry. Jay believes this was racially motivated. His father then wanted Jay to attend SAIT but Jay did not like the program. After working in B.C., Jay returned to Edmonton to work for the city. There his work provided steady income and his life soared. He became a writer for the city of Edmonton answering letters regarding mayoralty and alderman enquiries. It was pleasant employment for 28 years. When he retired from the city, he worked one year as a golf marshal. At 81, Jay experiences some pain from colitis and Sciatica, but basically lives a good life. He is a Christian who prays in the quiet of night considering Jesus to be his Lord and Saviour. He does not attend a church. He likes living in Beaumont, Alberta a quiet and well-run community. There he looks after his garden with his second wife, Sushila, from Singapore, whom he met 30 years ago. As a gardener, Jay appreciates the sound of rain falling. His attitude towards life is one of gratefulness and appreciation. Jay declares he has loved his Canadian experience, where he was rarely discriminated against. Today, Jay has eight grandchildren whom he states are all happy people. Jay began stamp collecting at 14 to 15 years of age. He still collects today. He focused his collection around a geographical area and was motivated to enter stamp collecting contests. Jay considers his collection valuable and it saddens him that there seems to be no family interest to sustain it. Collecting stamps has taught him many things. 8/20/2023 0 Comments LoisLois was born 1930 in South Saskatchewan, the youngest of six children. At 5 years of age, she moved with her family to Alberta. Lois became a professional psychologist after completing her BA in 1953. Lois met Ken, whom she married in 1963 after a lengthy gap in their relationship. After marrying, Ken became an educator and stressed the importance of having a family. Lois and Ken had two daughters: Lynn and Heather. After her children were born, she returned to university to study change management with Bill Bridges the author of Life Transitions . Lois believes this book is still relevant today. She worked as a consultant in career transitions for 12 years during the downsizing in Alberta, helping her clients explore new personal territory, particularly in midlife. She emphasized the importance of spending time on things that give you meaning and joy. Lois recalls one 30-year-old man who transitioned from being an engineer to a psychologist. Lois, herself, has made informed choices about her own life transitions. At 93, coping with intractable chronic pain in her lower body, she is exploring her life choices . She has signed up for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). She stresses how hard her decision is but her blood disorder frightens her, recalling her father’s double amputation. She would appreciate if people discussed her decision to include MAID as an option in her journey through life as she has found people do not communicate these feelings. Lois’s study of major world religions helped her reconcile her choice. She feels discussions about quality of life while aging, serve an important purpose. Lois’s condition has drastically impacted her mobility resulting in isolation, which is problematic for a self-professed extrovert. It has prompted her to reach out and develop a nurturing virtual community that includes ‘the Wisdom Circle’ ( an online, global sector of ‘Sageing International’). Lois also has one 25 year old grand daughter and twin grandsons aged 22 . Lois has come to value the effort to maintain family contact through weekly zoom calls; a vital addition to her virtual community. Lately, contemplating leaving this world, Lois believes the difference her death will make may be insignificant. She trusts there will be new adventures ahead. Lois hopes she leaves this world a better place because she has prompted people to explore and discuss their life choices with family and friends. |
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September 2023
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