That old Italian (Sicilian?) saying in the title kinda sums it up for me. I came to Quebec, I knew triumphs and sorrow, and now I said to myself: “What now?” It had never occurred to me that, once free, I could do anything I wanted. I had a Master’s Degree from Concordia University in Montreal and had been teaching College English Lit. and English as a Second Language, but became redundant when the Quebec government cut funding and the English department was the first to be cut. I was very close to being full time, but since I started late in life (mid-thirties), I couldn’t possibly catch up to my colleagues. (More on that later – perhaps for another blog or “memoirs.”
So – here I was with a degree and teaching experience, a whole house-building, self-sufficiency adventure behind me, a free woman to go anywhere and do anything I pleased – within the bounds of my health caused by two heart attacks and lung problems of a past smoker. I was on government assistance to get back on my feet and finding it difficult to be committed to any full-time work, I was at a loss as to what to do with my life.
Everyone needs friends and I had the best. An educated, intelligent, wonderful woman named Monic who got me moving when I was paralyzed with indecision. Also my siblings – a sister and a brother – encouraged me to visit and meet them. I couldn’t afford that but I COULD have a garage sale and jump on a plane for parts west.
SHARON'S ADVENTURES IN GENEALOGY 