Who We Are

My son Samuel has developed an interest in finding out who he is. He wants to visit a Geneology centre to find out more about his heritage on both sides of his family. On his father's side, there is some Indian blood (Blind River)and on my side, there is Scottish blood and English blood. We know, thanks to the efforts of my cousin Brian, much about the "Forster's" in England (my Grandmother's family name) who were once royalty but had their land taken from them. We know about Bamburgh Castle in Northhumberland that is our family castle. There are obvious connections with the Forsters of past. There is a portrait of Lady Forster that hangs in the castle and I look very much like her. Amazing.

The Scottish link in my past is one that has taunted me for years. Since I am aware of the physical traits,and the artistic traits I inherited from my father, I am curious about my paternal grandmother whom I never knew. Did she have my curly hair? Was she petite and feisty? Did she have the freckles that Sam and I share? Did she have any lung problems? Was she musical? Could she draw or paint? Did she like to write letters? These are the questions I would so love to have answered one day.

I have never been to Scotland. All I know is that my Grandmother's name was Christine Isobel Campbell and she was born in Hamilton, Scotland. My father was illegitimate and as was often done back then, his grandparents raised him as their own and Christine presumably, went back to Scotland. He only discovered the truth when he signed up for the army and needed his birth certificate. It was a major shock to him.

I share Sam's longing to find out about who I am. I recall a vacation with Mom and Dad where we went to Cape Breton Island and drove the Cabot Trail. The Scottish heritage is alive and well in Cape Breton and I remember a distinct feeling of not wanting to leave. It very much felt like 'home' or perhaps, it was a place that was closer to my blood ties physically. I remember the peace I felt seeing the humble homes that seemed so small compared to the physical enormity and beauty of the trail, and the majestic mystery of the wild ocean. I remember delighting in the accent of the locals and comparing that to my English family who all had very distinct accents, some of which, were impossible to understand (Northern family).

I will certainly encourage Sam's interest and I really hope one day to be able to take him to Scotland. Perhaps we will find out some answers about my Grandmother. For years I have silently thought of her and wondered if she knows or knew about me and my brothers. Did shame keep her from seeking us out? I suspect that was the case. It makes me sad to think she was denied her grandchildren because of social stigmas. Perhaps, it was just too painful.

I don't believe my Grandmother is alive anymore. This post is in memory of a Grandmother I never knew, but always believed was a very, very big part of who I am. Wherever she is, she will never be forgotten by me.

Linda Grace

Heroes

For the past month or so I have revelled in the joys of the Olympics. I jumped with joy at Crosby's amazing goal who overnight became a national hero as did Paul Henderson in 1972. I watched the brave Joanne Rochette skate through the grief she felt at losing her mom to attain a silver. I watched the snowboarder who won gold for his brother, his hero, born with Cerebral Palsey who stood on the sidelines whooping and cheering with all is might - what an emotional moment. There are so many heroes in our world.

Sadly, ths week, I watched tearfully as we said goodbye to two such heroes. Peel Constable Artem Ochakovsky, husband and father and OPP Constable Vu Pham. Pham died in a hail of bullets, leaving three little boys and a loving wife to carry on without him.

Many of us know and are close to Police Officers, Firefighters, EMS workers and Paramedics. We call on them in times of crisis, look to them for help, for answers. We expect them to be there when we need them. Many of these brave women and men live in our communities, play on our hockey teams, coach our children and get involved with the very citizens they work to protect and assist in their time of need.

Our emergency service providers live in a world where mental illness is on the rise and guns are more prevalent than ever. Many of these guns can be traced back to the U.S.A. The combination of mental instability and a weapon is a disaster waiting to happen as we have seen so many times and it is our Police Officers who face the dilemma of judging whether a person is mentally ill and dangerous.

Our lawmakers need to start getting serious about this epidemic of violence. When a beautiful young girl is killed shopping one evening on Boxing Day and another shot dead in his community school, something is terribly wrong. Where are some of these kids getting the guns they use to create the carnage we have all seen?

Our Police Officers in particular are on the front line of these tragedies everyday. Each morning when they dress and touch their weapon and head out to protect us from the bad guys, at the back of their minds must always sit the knowledge that at anytime it could all be over.

There are many heroes from all walks of life. Recently a friend called another friend to say he was in trouble and needed help. Although they hadn't see each for quite a while, the childhood bond was strong and one of these guys dropped everything and drove three hours to help the other. I consider the one who reached out for help to be a hero with tremendous courage and the other, a hero for being there for him in his time of need. That's friendship.

My Dad is my hero, having battled a brain tumour for 16 months, never complaining, always smiling, always making us laugh with his silly sense of humour and always ensuring his children knew they were loved and cared for. He will always be missed and will always be my hero.

Police Officers, Firefighters and all the workers I listed above are also my heroes. Selfless, brave, compassionate and loyal to their colleagues. Their display of support for OPP Constable Vu Pham's family is an example of how good a community can be in times of crisis. We are so very blessed to have such people looking out for us everyday. R.I.P. Constable Artem Ochakovsky and Constable Vu Pham and bless all the men and women who serve us each and every day.

Linda Grace