Letters to the Editor

 One Sunday morning, a little while ago, I noticed a woman I hadn't seen before and went to welcome her at the end of the service. I learned her name was Wendy, and I recognized her last name, McGenerty, from a church we attended in the early 1970s. It turned out that we had known part of her extended family.

Wendy became a regular attendee and plunged into the church's life. She found ways to share her gifts as she loves sending handwritten cards or calling people who need encouragement. She found her niche so effectively that she became someone you never knew you missed until she showed up! Wendy's heart beats with gratitude, compassion, and courage that rises above challenging circumstances.

Soon, Wendy and I discovered that we were both 1950 models and born within ten days of one another in June of that year, although separated by the Atlantic Ocean. Our physical proximity diminished when I came to Canada in 1969 as a 19-year-old new bride. I left behind my family, including my mum, whose love and example continue to shape me.

That was why I had to write something in 1981, when I was 30, and The Topic Newspaper invited letters in April on Why My Mother is Special to Me. My letter was published on April 21, 1981, and I sent the page to Mum, far away in England. My mum was Dutch; her name was Pieternella Kaatje Janny Schipper-Cater, and she died in 2012. 

I have a box with some of the pieces of paper Mum saved—I think of them as footprints of her life. This week I opened the box and found the page with the letter I'd written so long ago and had forgotten about. I sat on my bed, smoothed out the wrinkles as best I could, and reread my letter. After reading my letter, I continued to read a heartfelt letter about a mother named Lylla Lonsdale. It was signed by Wendy McGenerty, Newmarket, Age 30.

I couldn't wait to tell Wendy what I had discovered and my awe at the mystery of connections made over time. Wendy recalled writing something about her beloved mother, but it was 42 years ago, and memory dims! I was so excited to give her a copy of the page with our letters, side by side, carefully preserved by my mother.