Early Recollections

My earliest memories begin at our farm in Alberta .. before that all is a blur .. mind you .. I was only 3 or 4 when we moved out there. With our move to the farm .. the house sort of emptied .. the older half of the family choosing to go in different directions. Anne came with us to live there but left fairly quickly to get married. Visits by the elders were eagerly awaited by those who lived at the farm. Although the thought of an older brother or sister coming to visit seemed good to me .. the reality of the visit was somewhat overwhelming. My memory of arrivals is hazy as my view was obscured by Mom's skirt .. which was over my head as I clung to her leg in terror.

Although I believed for some time that I had been bought at the Salvation Army Store .. thanx to a sister who shall be unnamed .. I soon realized how much these older brothers & sisters loved me. They actually began to make live dolls for me to play with .. how good was that! I didn't get to name my dolls .. but first there was Brent .. and then Lorie .. and then Greg .. and the list just went on and on. Even as I grew .. I preferred to spend my time with these .. my most loved playthings .. who grew to be my friends.

The special thing about large families is that one has built-in friends .. I have grown to appreciate that. This absolute treasure provided by my parents is something that has no measure .. it is infinitely valuable.