Such Gratitude to Friends, Family, Colleagues & People I Just Came to Know!

Ah, what a feeling to be back home after 3 fun-filled weeks of book touring in Ontario and Quebec. We met up with so many old friends. My heart is full of gratitude and wonderful memories.

Our Eastern Book Tour began in Collingwood, Ontario. Thank you Jill and Howard for putting us up, showing us the sites, introducing us to so many people and catalysing this entire tour. What a beautiful place you call home. And thank you to the 4Seasons Probus Club for organizing a wonderful event.

In Toronto, thank you Wendy, Mark and family for being such fantastic hosts. Swimming, biking and Pilates in between presentations at York University, St. Michael’s Hospital and Wendy’s home! What lively crowds!

While in Toronto on a Saturday afternoon, I holed up in a quiet room and had a rich, online conversation with Dr. Brian Goldman (CBC’s White Coat Black Art). Broadcast date for the episode is TBA. Stay tuned!

En route to Montreal by train, Mike was the keeper of the remaining two boxes of books. At most events independent bookstores sold Hand on My Heart but opportunities often arose for us to sell our stock. By the end of the trip, we walked away with only 3 books left!

In Montreal, we celebrated Halloween with Sonia and John who were super hosts and friends I have known for many years. I felt blessed to be able to visit with so many old colleagues and mates in Montreal. Having opted to celebrate many moments instead of documenting them with photos, I post only a tiny sample here.

McGill’s School of Population and Global Health hosted a fabulous event during which I got to meet medical school companions from long ago.

In Lachine, the Lakeshore Unitarian Universalist Congregation and the Society of Geography Teachers of Quebec brought us in for a lively time. We also had an impromptu online event for Médecins Sans Frontières!

We had a wonderful conversation with John, my sister’s high school teacher, while he drove us to Hudson that evening. Greenwood StoryFest in the beautiful town of Hudson, where I went to high school, gave us a marvelous reception. It was magical to reconnect with so many people from so long ago.

Ottawa was our last stop and we arrived there courtesy of my sister who took time off work to come to StoryFest. In Ottawa, Emi and James opened their house to us and reminded me of how to get around our capital city. Because of snow, a fundraising book event at the Department of Justice morphed into an online experience. Hats off to Emi!

Heather Thomson and Friends of MSF at the University of Ottawa spearheaded our last event.

The next day, Emi and James whisked us away to the country for a little fun and relaxation.

As I write this, I am nestled in a blanket near a fire marveling over the previous 3 weeks. What an amazing community! Thank you to everyone who helped make the events and the trip fun and interesting.