family tree

My Dad's a backwoods New Brunswick boy and my Mom is pure PEIslander. I was born in Moncton, and my 5 sisters and one brother were born all over, Dad being in the Air Force and getting posted every couple of years. I grew up in many places, Edgar, Mont Apica, St. Bruno, Barrington, Topsham/Brunswick, Maine (and a lovely place that was), an amazing place called St. Margarets, full of magical and life-altering places and people, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Summerside, the beautiful Annapolis Valley NS, and presently Dartmouth/Halifax. Jeez, I actually lived in Egypt for 6 months. My ex wife was born in The Valley, and was in the Forces when I met her, me a burgeoning drunk with a dearth of ambition and her a pretty sandy-blond with enormous blue eyes. We spent 14 years together, a tumultuous but successful marriage that saw the birth of our 3 kids. Theresa and Jenna were born in Ottawa, and my good boy Jeff started his life in Summerside. They were the most blindingly beautiful creations I'd ever seen. I have remembered over the years to thank God humbly for them, for allowing me to participate in bringing such beauty into the world. They've given me gifts... grandchildren, a chance to watch them grow, participate vicariously in their gifts and talents. And, they're very patient with my eccentric and often incommunicado self. I once labeled them as Love, Beauty and Brilliance, with those labels freely interchangeable. I love them most because they're absolutely real and genuine people, each so different from the other yet possessing common qualities that link them so closely. And, of course, I love them because they love me.
And that's how it all works. Love needs an object. The reciprocality of genuine love is never so strong as it is with immediate family. And I wouldn't want it any other way. Thanks, my beauties, and thanks especially to my ancestors, who seemed to know just how to stir the pot to get the best results.

Perry