“Yes,” I nodded, wondering where this would take me. The woman then began to tell a story, I guessed, though I couldn’t understand any of it. I smiled politely and pretended to listen. After several minutes, she pantomimed guns shooting, complete with some appropriate sound effects. Now I felt a bit worried. After all, I was in Germany. Canada had fought with the Allies against this land’s population. I wondered if she might possibly be blaming me for her father’s death or the destruction of her home. A knot began to form in my stomach. Then she threw her arms out to the sides and imitated the rolling motion of a plane flying. A good storyteller, her face mirrored the seriousness of war. But I couldn’t tell whether the Canadians were the good guys or not. The knot in my stomach grew.
I have no idea how long we stood on the side of the road while she told her story, but it sure felt like forever. For an older lady, her stamina was impressive. I was exhausted just listening. It takes a lot of energy to try to decipher a language when you only know a few words. I was so intent on trying to understand her story that I was once again startled when a voice spoke to my left.
In a heavy accent, though clear enough for me to understand, a man’s voice explained, “She is telling you how the Germans came to her village in the Netherlands. It was the Canadians who came to free her people. She thanks you for those soldiers from your country who came so generously to free their country from the Nazis.”
Since I wasn’t fluent in Dutch either, I wondered which language she had been speaking. I had only assumed it had been German. My translator was a German in his forties. He added no praise of his own — but then again he wasn’t hostile either. Suddenly, the older woman began to smile broadly, her story over. She pumped my hand and said “danke danke” over and over again. Even I knew that word. I smiled back, and then she went on her way, still talking. I heard the word “Canada” once more before her voice faded in the slight afternoon breeze. I thanked the translator for his help. He nodded his head briskly and continued down the road.
I stood still for a bit, and thought about the young men and women who came to a strange land to fight an evil regime and risk their lives for people they didn’t know. I knew about the war from books and a safe distance, yet this continent was still full of survivors who had experienced it first-hand. I didn’t know it then, but in the months to come I would meet many of them: men and women in nursing homes who had experienced two occupations in France, a sweet man playing an accordion on a Belgian street corner wearing his World War II Army uniform, children of soldiers that proudly told of their relatives’ involvement, and those who had experienced first-hand the terror of the fighting — of the war.
On our tours we passed and visited many cemeteries and memorials. The rock on the beach at Dieppe with the Maple Leaf, huge memorials in France commemorating specific battles, and the final resting places of soldiers from both sides. Seeing those huge fields with rows and rows of crosses touched me. The young men under those crosses were just as much victims, with grieving families at home, as the allies. Each cross bore a name and a tragic set of dates that showed the extreme youth of many of them, sometimes with a sibling or two beside them.
I felt many stirrings of national pride during my travel in Europe — though never more than after my encounter with that older woman in Germany. She proved her enduring gratitude to our country by insisting on telling her story to me, and thanking me as if I had been one of the liberating Canadian soldiers from the war. People everywhere still remembered and were grateful. What I hadn’t realized is that I needed to “remember” too. Every Canadian should be proud of our country and its history. I know I am.
~Janice M. McDonald
Ingersoll, Ontario
Meet Our Contributors
A. A. Adourian is thankful, curious and loves to learn. She thanks God for each day, is curious to watch her faith grow, and loves to learn how the Holy Spirit changes hearts. She wants to inspire and encourage others through her writing, and makes her home in Toronto. Learn more at aaadourian.com.
Tanya Ambrose is the daughter of Russian parents displaced by World War II. The memories her parents shared shaped her appreciation of their losses and sacrifices. She wishes she had asked more questions when she was younger. Her parents’ experiences are often the catalyst for her writing.
Kathy Ashby is the author of Carol: A Woman’s Way published by DreamCatcher Publishing. As quoted on the back cover, Dr. Helen Caldicott says, “A very important fictional account of the activity of women to preserve the environment. Indeed most successful movements have been and are started by women.” E-mail Kathy at
[email protected] Alma Barkman is the author of nine books and her writing has also appeared in numerous publications, both secular and Christian. She is the mother of four boys and grandmother of eleven. Her interests include photography, quilting and gardening.
James Barrera was a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1997 to 2014 with several deployments to Kandahar, Afghanistan. He plans to write a book about his experiences.
Patti Leo Bath is a registered nurse and writer. She loves to travel, and her favourite trips have been helping her grandmother complete her bucket list. They saw every province of Canada by train and ferry, and took a steamboat down the Mississippi River. She just completed her first novel and is hoping to publish it soon.
Glynis Belec is a former registered nurse and retired tutor who now works as a full-time freelance writer, inspirational speaker and award-winning children’s author. She cannot imagine a world without little people to inspire her. Glynis loves capturing life in words and cannot wait for tomorrow so she can feel inspired all over again.
Rahaf Bi arrived in Canada in May of 2016. Since then, she has shared her incredible story with kids in schools throughout the Kelowna area and has helped many Syrian families settle in the Okanagan. She received her Bachelor of Science with a major in Chemistry at the University of Damascus.
Wayne Boldt is now a middle-aged man who no longer needs to borrow his sister’s bicycle to have an adventure. A cowboy, husband, wilderness canoeist, father, ocean sailor and grandfather, Wayne is reflecting on his many experiences and is starting to write about them.
Barbara Bondy-Pare has four children from her first loving husband, Ronald M. Bondy. Since he passed away from lung cancer, she has married a high school classmate, Eddie Pare. Their twelve adorable grandchildren keep them young, active, and entertained. Barbara is all about love, family, and hugs.
Binnie Brennan is a musician and award-winning author of three books of fiction. She is a graduate of Queen’s University and the Humber School for Writers. Since 1989 Binnie has lived in Halifax, where she plays the viola with Symphony Nova Scotia.
Liaison and spokesperson for Lewisporte Area Flight 15 Scholarship Fund, Shirley Brooks-Jones was born in Vinton County, Ohio, and is the eldest of nine children. She received a BA in English and was awarded Emeritus status, both from Ohio State University. She is a recipient of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Rose Burke and her husband live in Rusagonis, NB. After retirement, she began writing her mother’s life story, which will be published later this year. She often blends prose with her other passion, photography. Her fiction and personal essays have been published in anthologies and in the United Church Observer.
Lydia Calder has published magazine articles and inspiration pieces, and writes two blogs. She has a busy life as a wife, mother, grandmother, pet owner and lay minister. In the quiet times she enjoys reading books, writing books and colouring books. Learn more at lydiaonajourney.blogspot.ca.
Deborah Cannon is a writer of fantasy, suspense and romance. Her interests are diverse and range from a Chinese epic fantasy, The Pirate Empress, to a series of Christmas romances for pet lovers under the pen name of Daphne Lynn Stewart. She trained at Toronto’s Humber School for Writers and lives in Hamilton, ON.
Jennifer Caseley loves to collect letters to put behind her name. She has her BSc
., M.Ed., and is a CPHR (Chartered Professional in Human Resources). She enjoys sewing, photography, quading and travelling. She has settled down in Northern Alberta.
Carla M. Crema was born and raised in Port Alberni, BC. She has been a Certified Dental Assistant for thirty-eight years and is currently a Certified Podologist with four years experience. She has a passion for children and spends her free time with elder people. She enjoys painting, knitting, gardening, and numerous outdoor activities.
Sherry Taylor Cummins, SHRM-SCP, CMP, CMM, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources in 1993. She has two published books and well over 200 contributions to books, articles and blogs. In southeast Michigan, she enjoys spending time with family, writing, speaking and travelling. E-mail Sherry at
[email protected] Born in Ottawa, Ontario but living in Quebec, Julie Hamel de Belle has been writing in both official languages since her early teens. Julie de Belle is a retired ESL teacher, has taught in China and James Bay, and now works freelance from home, both writing and translating.
Michelle Dinnick, B.Sc., writes both nonfiction and fiction. She lives in Southern Ontario with her family, and has three young boys. A regular contributor to several local magazines, in April 2016 Michelle was shortlisted at the Ontario Writers’ Conference Story Starters Contest. E-mail her at
[email protected] Lynn Dove has been married to her best friend, Charles, for close to forty years and they are blessed with three wonderful adult children, and three precious grandbabies. She loves to connect with her readers through her award-winning blog, Journey Thoughts, or on Facebook and Twitter @LynnIDove and through her website lynndove.com.
Brooke and Keira Elliott are compassionate young women who want to make a difference in the world. When Brooke isn’t deep in a book, or figuring out how to help others, she loves to play volleyball and soccer. Keira has the voice of an angel and sings her way through the day brightening the world for others with her kind, generous heart.
Peter G. Elliott is an independent filmmaker, video editor and writer with a strong passion for Canadian history and the outdoors. His first professional film, The Castle of White Otter Lake, ignited his career to share unique stories from Canada’s backwoods. Peter now lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland with his family. E-mail him at
[email protected] Jane Everett is an artist who lives and works in Kelowna, BC where marmots are, unfortunately, plentiful.
Donna Fawcett is a retired creative writing instructor for Fanshawe College in London, ON. She enjoys sharing her stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul books and has had the privilege of having received awards for her novels and song lyrics. Learn more at donnafawcett.com.
Liz Maxwell Forbes is published in three previous Chicken Soup for the Soul books as well as in other anthologies. Her latest book, Growing Up Weird, is her memoir of growing up with eccentric parents in Oak Bay (Victoria, BC) in the 1940s and 1950s. You can learn more at osbornebaybooks.com.
John Karl Forrest passed away July 20, 2016. He was a loving husband and devoted father. He was always proud to have his stories published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He is greatly missed by his family, friends, and his many admirers at Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Robyn Gerland is the author of All These Long Years Later found in the Canadian library systems. She is a columnist for several magazines and newspapers including Polar Expressions and the Federation of British Columbia Writers WordWorks. She also teaches creative writing at Vancouver Island University.
Paula L. Gillis has a Bachelor of Arts and Education from St. Francis Xavier University. After living in Fort McMurray for twenty-two years she moved to Edmonton but still has friends in the community. Paula left the workplace a few years ago and began working on other projects and submitting to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
As a teenager growing up in the 1970s, Lacy Gray wrote for escape. “What inspires my poetry is life. Anything that touches the heart, good or bad,” states the mother of two grown sons. Lacy enjoys travelling and spending time with loved ones. She plans to continue pursuing her dream of touching lives through her writing.
Kristine Groskaufmanis lives in Toronto with her adorable husband and equally adorable dog. When she’s not eating carbs, she enjoys hiking, listening to Joni Mitchell and plotting how to stay in her pyjamas and get paid for doing so.
After co-authoring fifteen books for high school geography, Rob Harshman has begun writing nonfiction stories. Rob and his wife live in Mississauga where he loves to spend time with his three grandchildren. He also enjoys travel, photography and gardening. Rob plans to continue writing short stories.
Anthony Hoffman grew up in Fort McMurray and currently works as a firefighter/EMT for the municipality. His chronic curiosity has taken him around the world, and into the fields of film, radio, finance, flight and emergency services. He logs personal musings and observations at charactercrackers.com.
Durre N. Jabeen was born in Bangladesh and now lives in Canada. She is a civil engineer and loves to write and cook. She has published two collections of short stories: My Jardin and Savage and Alluring, and a cookbook: Great Grandmother Grandmother Mother We: Bangladeshi Family Recipe. E-mail her at
[email protected] Mitchell Kastanek is a high school student living in Amery, WI. He enjoys playing football, tennis, reading, and playing drums in his high school’s band. He plans on attending college to earn a bachelor’s degree in business.
Pamela Kent received her Diploma in Creative Writing when she was sixty. Twenty-six years later she still writes every day. Her articles and stories have won awards and appeared in magazines, newspapers and online.
Liisa Kovala, a Finnish-Canadian teacher and writer, is inspired by life in Northern Ontario. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in a variety of publications. Her first book, Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate, will be released in Fall 2017 by Latitude 46. Learn more at liisakovala.com.
Elizabeth Kranz always dreamed of living in the north. But life’s complications moved her to many homes and adventures. Her five children and various jobs give her so much writing inspiration, especially the canoeing adventures that she drags her computer geek husband on in Algonquin Park’s wilderness. E-mail her at
[email protected] Bonnie Lavigne loves gardening, hiking, cooking, and nature. She lives on the shores of sunny Lake Ontario far, far from black fly country.
Sharon Lawrence is a retired educator, artisan, speaker and writer. She and her late husband established a private wildlife sanctuary in Ontario where they raised, rehabilitated and released injured and orphaned wildlife. Sharon is currently penning short stories about some of the unique animals housed at the sanctuary.
Deborah Lean is a mixed media artist and writer from Cobourg, ON.
Mark Leiren-Young’s most recent book is The Killer Whale Who Changed the World. He’s the host of the Skaana podcast and he won the Leacock Medal for Humour for his debut book, Never Shoot a Stampede Queen.
Leslie Lorette is passionate about travel, animals, nature, cooking, the arts, and culture. She believes travel is transformative and appreciates the people she has met and the opportunities she had to explore seven continents and close to sixty countries. She lives in Toronto and is grateful for her friends, family, and Lola.
Nancy Loucks-McSloy, a community service worker, is a published writer based in London, ON. Growing up in rural Southwestern Ontario in the 1950s and 1960s, Nancy enjoys reminiscing about the good times when life was much simpler. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother who is very much a community activist.
Julia Lucas is retired from a career in architectural drafting and construction estimating. She enjoys creating needlework designs in cross-stitch, Hardanger embroidery as well as knitting and crochet. She has been married for thirty-nine years, has two stepsons and two step-grandsons.
Zabe MacEachren holds a Ph.D. in Craftmaking as a Pedagogy in Environmental Education. She currently co
ordinates the Outdoor and Experiential Education program at Queen’s University. She has been travelling by snowshoe and canoe for decades, and holds fond memories of her experiences teaching in the north.
Linda Maendel lives on a Hutterite colony in Manitoba, and works as an educational assistant. She blogs at hutt-writevoice.blogspot.ca. Besides freelancing, she’s the author of two published books: a German children’s book, Lindas glücklicher Tag; and Hutterite Diaries, a collection of Hutterite stories.
Lesley Marcovich, a life story coach, believes that “stories are the invisible strands that tie our DNA together.” She runs biography workshops and an online memoir program. She lives in Newmarket with her husband and her ever-growing family, all great fodder for any life story. E-mail her at
[email protected] Nada Mazzei has a Bachelor of Arts in French and Italian and a Master of Theology from the University of Toronto. She received her Master of Arts in Theology from the University of St. Michael’s College. Nada is currently a freelance writer in Toronto. She enjoys reading, music, and art.
Dennis McCloskey has a Journalism degree from Ryerson University in Toronto. He writes freelance articles from his home in Richmond Hill, ON, where he lives with his wife, Kris, a retired teacher. This is Dennis’s fifth story published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. E-mail him at
[email protected] Krista McCracken is a public historian and writer living in Northern Ontario. Her nonfiction work focuses on archives, residential schools, community, and outreach. When she’s not writing she can be found drinking tea, watching Doctor Who, and editing Wikipedia. Learn more at kristamccracken.ca.
Though primarily a poet, Janice M. McDonald enjoys all kinds of writing. She also enjoys crafting, scrapbooking, gardening and many other creative endeavours. Janice dreams of more time to write but as a mother, wife, volunteer and employee it can be quite a challenge.