These stories relate to portions of my life. I was a Canadian girl who benefited from love, as well as the other necessities of life. Our household was one of average means. Both of my parents worked outside our home. My mother was a teacher, my father a postmaster. As an adult, I realize that the formal jobs they held, their means of making a living must have influenced me; however, the everyday example, the way they lived their lives with honesty, integrity, respect for others, love of family, and friends, that gave me a path to follow. They provided me with strength, self-confidence and the light that burns deep within. - Maeve Omstead-Johnston