I was born in Montreal, QC.  I am a 60-year-old mom, grandma, wife, and a freelancer in the communications field.  I’ve been married forever to the same guy.  I have two children, one deceased, and a grandchild in my care who is really the light of my life.  I’m fortunate to have one parent still living and I’m responsible for his care.  I’m a community volunteer for a youth-related organization whose focus is on helping young people in conflict with the law.  I’ve done other volunteer work as well but, you know, sometimes life gets so busy that you just can’t do everything you’d like to do.  I’m very fortunate to have good friends in my life, people who understand what true friendship is – a relationship built on unconditional love.  And I’m very fortunate to have a healthy relationship with my sibs and other relatives.  I love music, art, dance and anything to do with the written word.

This is my second go-round with Vibrant Nation and I’m here under a different member name because the original was taken by someone else after I left.  My new member name is in memory of my mom who passed away a few years ago.  She was a WREN during the Second World War and among the first two hundred to enlist in the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service.  The experience changed her life.     

How did you get to where you are now?

You know, when a door opens, I walk through it.  I don’t think I would be where I am today were it not for other people who made things possible by opening a door for me, by giving me a chance.  I think when you get a gift like that, you pass it on.  I try to do that when the opportunity presents.

How do you see yourself differently now than you did 10 years ago?

I am not the same person I was ten years ago.  I am a woman of strength and I’m comfortable with that.  Many of the things I valued ten years ago are not important to me anymore.   I’m a woman of power, too, as everyone is if they want to be, and I’m comfortable with that.  I’m a small-time activist: I sign petitions that I believe in, I boycott businesses that forgot to treat me like the good customer I was, I’m politically active at a grassroots level, I don’t buy goods from countries where workers’ rights are non-existent, I’ve participated in street marches and rallies and walked the picket line in support of change, and more.  I’ve got grey hairs, wrinkles, and people call me ma’am and open doors for me, and I’m comfortable with that.  I want to grow old gracefully.  My teenage granddaughter tells me I’m beautiful and I believe her; I’m not sure that I would have ten years ago. 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I’m not even going to go there.  Life is a day at a time and while I have short-term personal and professional goals, I don’t really see myself in terms of ten years from now. 

Every experience you’ve had, every person who’s crossed your path, every story that has touched your soul will be there for you to draw on when you need it most.  Just know that there will be a tomorrow and that God loves you and that you will understand things when the time is right.