ULY

ONE THOUSAND TREESFACILITATING WELLNESS

THROUGH CONNECTION, CREATIVITY, AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

PUBLISHERLisa Browning

DEPARTMENTAL EDITORSConnections: Lisa Browning

Creativity & The Arts: Sandra WilsonFood & Nutrition: Krista Harrison

Giving Back: Carly GenysHealth & Wellbeing: Leilan Grace Adair

The Library: Lisa Browning

COVER PHOTOGRAPHYSandra Wilson

ONE THOUSAND TREESEmail: lisa@onethousandtrees.com

Phone: 519-362-5494Fax: 519-265-6712

One Thousand Trees is published monthly. Submissions for Feature Articles (based on the monthly theme)or Regular Departments are due on the 20th of the month prior to each publication. Full ProductionSchedule, including summary of monthly themes, can be found at

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All rights reserved. Articles cannot be reprinted without the written consent of the Publisher.

ONE THOUSAND TREESJULY 2017

BOOKS!!!

FEATURE ARTICLES:

E-INTERVIEW: JESSICA TISCHLER 1

THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING PUBLISHED

by One Thousand Trees Authors 8

DEPARTMENTS: (bolded articles are monthly features)

CONNECTIONS-- The Month in Review, by Lisa Browning 26-- Dear Angels, by Jill Michelle 22-- Spirit Babies, by Christine Nightingale 10

CREATIVITY & THE ARTS

-- An Opportunity for Men to Tell Their Stories, by Lisa Browning 3-- Eden Mills Writers Festival, by Brooke Giles 3-- Writing for Children, by Marilyn Helmer 17-- 50 Moments in August, by Jason Nadon 4-- Artist Spotlight: Sarah Nicolai 10-- Living in the Present, by Sandra Wilson 13-- My Adventure Called Life: Lessons from a Baby Fox, by Sandra Wilson 5

FOOD & NUTRITION

-- Kids Cooking from Scratch, by Krista Harrison 20

GIVING BACK

-- OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation: Books for St Lucia 12-- Volunteering in Southwestern Ontario 24

HEALTH & WELLBEING

-- A Story to Tell, by Catherine Graham 6-- A Whole New Way of Thinking, by Scott Logan 13-- Gratitude Corner, by Michelle Statton-Dickie 16

THE LIBRARY

-- Books Galore, a poem by Colleen Heighington 12-- The Story Behind the Story: When Pete Was a Kid, by Dennis Perrier 15-- Slices of Life: Taste of Diversity, a short story by Bob Smith 23-- The Birdy Book, by Steph Van de Ven 17-- The Best Novel I Ever Read, by Cindy van Wonderen 17

Eden Mills Writers’ Festival, p 3 Lessons from a Baby Fox, p 5

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

Jean-Paul BédardAn Opportunity for Men to ShareTheir Stories

Jean-Paul is author behind the verypopular blog "Breathe Through This".As a survivor of childhood sexualabuse, he is a leading advocate raising

awareness for other male survivors of sexual abuse to findtheir "voice". Jean-Paul is also a "featured contributor"to the Huffington Post. When he's not sitting in front ofhis laptop, Jean-Paul is pursuing his passion of endurancerunning. Please visit http://breathethroughthis.com.

Brenda CassidyThe Best Thing About BeingPublished - Who Needs LittleBrothers? & Who Needs LittleSisters?

Brenda has learned many lessons onthe long road to finding herself, one of the greatest ofwhich has been that we need to love ourselves and takethe time to do the things we are passionate about. Brendahas always been passionate about writing. It was one ofthe things she had put off for a long time, but is nowbringing some of her ideas to life, and to be able to sharethem with others is one of her lifetime goals.

Catherine GrahamA Story To Tell

Catherine is the author of Woman ToWoman: The Journey to Me; PowerSurge; and A Journey Into Fear. She iscurrently working on her fourth book,

The Naked Spirit, which will be released in late 2017.Catherine is an Intuitive Healer and Psychic Medium, andruns her business Journey Healers, while raising herfamily and following her heart. To connect with Catherine,email catherine@journeyhealers.com.

Craig DubeckiThe Best Thing About BeingPublished - So, You Just Want toBe a Rock Star

Craig is the Creator and Owner ofThe WYLIWYGTM Principle andOwner of WYLIWYGTM: Where You

Look Is Where You GoTM, a company which he speaksfrom in the hopes of helping both individuals andbusinesses find a positive direction towards their potential.An active member of Toastmasters and the PublicSpeakers Association out of San Antonio, Texas, Craig’spassions include public speaking and being on stage as asinger/guitarist.

Brooke GilesEden Mills Writers’ Festival

Brooke is the Assistant for the 2017Eden Mills Writers’ Festival. She iscurrently pursuing a Bachelor of Artsin Psychology at the University ofGuelph, and plans to pursue a

Masters of Library Science following her undergraduatedegree. She has been passionate about writing since shewas young, and has been published in local and nationalpoetry anthologies. Besides writing, she enjoys spendingher time reading, doing photography, and hiking.

Heather EmbreeThe Best Thing About BeingPublished - The Stellar Queen ofOaxaca

Heather wrote The Stellar Queen ofOaxaca to celebrate the beauty of her

friend, Reyna, who she met while living and volunteeringin Mexico. Heather lives in Guelph, Canada with her dog,and is an author, holistic practitioner and soul coach. Formore information about her, please visit her website atwww.blossomingheart.ca.

Evan MeadAn Opportunity for Men to ShareTheir Stories

Evan is an Independent film-maker andwriter currently living in RichmondHill, Ontario, Canada. Having been

diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (a high-functioningform of Autism) at the age of 5, he is known to be differentfrom most people, but in the best way. Evan is proud tocall himself and ally of people with disabilities, and isdetermined to help people recognize their own uniquegifts in life.

Jill MichelleDear Angels

Jill Michelle has been communicatingwith angels for most of her life. She isan angel reader and channels healinglight to her clients. She has been

helping her international clients in person and on thephone for over 15 years. Jill's passion is to help peoplerelease issues and blockages, propelling them forward ontheir spiritual journey and bringing love peace and joy intotheir lives. For more information visit her website atwww.jillmichelle.ca.

Scott LoganA Whole New Way of Thinking

Scott is a Life Coach, Crystal ReikiMaster and Teacher, Yuen and SpiritualTherapist, and Prayer Group facilitator.He is well versed and certified, in avariety of energy modalities, and

techniques. He looks forward to working with you. Tobook your appointment with Scott, contact him athope.esperanze.ehe@gmail.com or phone 519-503-2771.

Colleen HeighingtonBooks Galore

Colleen is happily married to awonderful husband named Ken. Theyhave been blessed with three beautifulchildren, and four terrific grandsons.She enjoys reading, writing stories and

poetry, and she keeps fit by walking 3 to 4 kilometresevery day. Her summers are spent at their trailer in Orillia,and she really enjoys the time she spends with family andfriends. She has been a volunteer with Hospice Wellingtonsince 2015.

Marilyn HelmerWriting for Children

Marilyn is the award-winning author ofmany children's books includingpicture books, early chapters, retoldfairy tales, riddle books and novels.Her short stories, poetry and articles

have appeared in numerous children's magazines andanthologies in Canada and the United States and herpenchant for entering writing contests has resulted insuccess with short adult fiction as well. You can visit herwebsite at www.marilynhelmer.com.

Krista HarrisonKids Cooking from Scratch

Krista is the mother of three beautiful,courageous and creative children.Teaching her children to always followtheir own truth without measuring theirsuccess against anyone else is a value

she holds dear to her heart. Krista's passion is towardschanging the health of our children and supporting themalong their own journey. Please visit her website atwww.kristaharrison.com.

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Dennis PerrierThe Story Behind the Story:When Pete Was A Kid

Dennis was reared in the southern partsof Saskatchewan and Alberta. He wasa school teacher for thirty-three yearswhile raising a family in Medicine Hat.

After retiring, he moved to Cambridge, Ontario to becloser to his children and grandchildren. It was there thathe satisfied a nostalgic yearning to write about a nearperfect childhood.

Lee PrykeThe Best Thing About BeingPublished - What If, Just for Today?

Lee is CEO and Founder of I Am I CanSelf Enrichment Centre, a thrivingbusiness that promotes empoweredliving through speaking engagements,

transformational workshops, and her inspiring books. Leelives in Canada; visit her at www.iamican.ca.

Michelle NogueiraThe Best Thing About BeingPublished - My Parents Aren’tNoobs

For the past 29 years, Michelle hasworked through the continuum of carein the addiction field. She is currently

working at Homewood Community Addictions Services asa Problem Gambling Counsellor and teachesUnderstanding Relapse Prevention at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity (Addiction Certificate Program). Mostimportantly, Michelle’s interest and passion to promote abalanced use of technology comes from her personalexperiences in raising a 13 year old son in the digital age.

Christine NightingaleSpirit Babies

After studying Hypnosis for Fertility,Christine found that while workingwith clients, she would get very clearmessages from their miscarried or notyet conceived babies. Her speciality

has become getting messages from these babiesexplaining their difficulties in coming in, and suggestionsfor making it easier. She has worked with over 400couples, facilitating communication and pregnancy. Formore information please visit her website atwww.nightingalehealing.com.

Sarah NicolaiArtist Spotlight

Sarah is a 13-year-old, grade 8 studentfrom Kitchener. She has always lovedart, but started taking it much moreseriously in the last year. She hopes tocontinue studying art in school, with the

hope to one day have an art-based career.

Jason Nadon50 Moments in August

Jason is an Information Technologistby education and trade that enjoysexploring his other passions such asHeritage, Culture and Community. Alifelong learner and dreamer - he’s

always on the search for innovative ways to connect withothers and help in any way possible. Follow or connectwith him on Twitter: @JaeNadon.

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Cindy van WonderenThe Best Novel I Ever Read

Cindy writes poetry and micro-fiction;she maintains her own not-yet-publicwriting blog. She is a mom, educator,city cycler, ever-learning yogi, friend,

sometimes painter, live music enthusiast and nature lover.It is her affinity to community and creativity that bringsher to write and share with others words that connect usall.

Steph Van De VenThe Birdy Book

Steph is The Mindful Mama! She's aMother, a published children's bookauthor, a meditation and mindfulnessfacilitator, a writer, a blogger, acreative, and conscious creator. She

has been studying and practicing for years, taking mindfuland meditation courses including an MBSR course -mindfulness based stress reduction. She worked incorporate for years and decided to take a leap of faith andhelp/serve others find the same peace and calm she'sfound through mindfulness practices.

Jessica TischlerE-interview

Jessica is a young entrepreneur. Sheenjoys nature, her chickens, and beingcreative in general. Her love forcreating, and high level ofresponsibility led her to creating her

own handmade jewelry business with fused glasspendants.

Michelle Statton-DickieGratitude Corner

Michelle is a wife, mom, chiropractor,speaker, CEO of Busy Moms, HealthyFamilies and Family Freedom, and aself-diagnosed learning junkie. She hasa passion for helping people achieve

optimal health – especially children. For over 20 years,Michelle has been dedicated to this mission, demonstratedthrough her practice, speaking engagements, eBooks andnumerous online health and parenting summits. She is theauthour of Giving Thanks: A Children's Guide to DailyGratitiude. Please visit her at www.kidsgivingthanks.com.

Cynthia SpringThe Best Thing About BeingPublished - Welcome to OurGarden

While simply a visitor to the west coastfrom time to time, Cynthia continuesto be inspired by life in this area.

Combining a sensual experience with a peek at historyand asking some thought-provoking questions, the goalof this collaborative project has been to share the spirit of,and to help preserve, this paradise.

Bob SmithSlices of Life

Like many writers, R.K. (Bob) Smithhas worked in widely different settings,accounting for diverse characters,settings, and story lines. He describeshis stories as ‘character-driven,’ rather

than ‘plot-driven.’ People face some kind of challenge andface it with creativity and integrity, often connecting withothers as part of the process. He has published novels andshort stories in online, newspaper, and more traditionalprinted formats, as well as having written Christmasstories heard on radio.

PUBLISHER’S PONDERINGS

It has been a pleasure putting this issue together! The focus -- Books!!! -- has leftme feeling more motivated than ever to get writing!

I am also very grateful to have worked with so many authors over the past sevenyears, many of whom have provided feedback in this issue.

On a very rainy Canada Day, as I write this final piece, I am looking forward to a cup of tea and ... youguessed it! ... a good book!

I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I have enjoyed putting it together!

Lisa

Sandra WilsonMy Adventure Called LifeLiving in the PresentThe Best Thing About BeingPublished

Sandra is a writer, educator, andamateur photographer. With a Bachelor

of Arts in English and History, much of her work includeshistoric facts presented in fun and interesting ways.Although trained to take portraits at Sears Portrait Studio,Sandra prefers to capture nature with her camera. Herpassion is to help people learn, laugh and be inspired. Formore information, please visit www.werconline.ca.

AN INTERVIEW WITH ...Jessica Tischler

One of the booths I visited at Art on theStreet, held in Guelph last month, wasthat of 9-year-old jewellery designerJessica Tischler. I was so impressedwith her work that I wanted to run afeature on her. Following are herresponses to my questions.

How long have you been makingjewellery?

I have been making jewelry sinceFebruary 2013. So 4, going on 5almost.

What got you started?

Mom took me to a class for doing theglass fusing. I enjoyed putting the glasstogether and then I made smallerversions of the fused tiles as pendants.I really wanted an iPod, so mom toldme that if I could earn the moneymyself, I could purchase one. We tooksome pictures of the pendants I made,and sold them to friends! I made it intoa business from there because I lovedoing it.

Your work is beautiful! Can youexplain how you do it?

I take a big sheet of glass, or scrappieces of glass, and pound them intotinier pieces with a hammer. Then I puta special glue like liquid onto biggerpendant size pieces of glass that I'veprecut to size, the base of the pendant.I delicately place the shards and piecesof glass onto the base pendant piecewith tweezers. After that I take thependants to a kiln to be fused (melted)into each other.How did you learn to do this?

My mom took me to a class for fusingglass tiles, and it took off from there!

What is the best part about runningthis kind of business?

I get to see people wearing mypendants, and seeing them smile asthey look at the pendant they chose. Itmakes me feel appreciated and happythat people are enjoying my craft.

What is the most difficult part?

The most difficult part is waiting forthe pendants to come back to my houseafter firing, it sometimes takes a coupleof weeks.

Where can people purchase yourproducts?

At my house in my mother’s studio, Ihave a little table that displays myhandmade pendants. I can ship them aswell. My mom has a Facebook pagethat you can contact me through:

www.facebook.com/christinatischlerdotcom

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EDEN MILLSWRITERS’ FESTIVAL

by Brooke Giles

Each year, book lovers gather at theEden Mills Writers’ Festival on thebanks of the Eramosa River in thevillage of Eden Mills, to interact withcritically acclaimed and up-and-coming Canadian authors as they read,discuss and sign their most recentworks.

This year, the Festival will take placeon Sunday September 10, 2017 fromnoon to 6 p.m., and festival-goers willexperience adult, teen and children’sprogramming that is sure to entertain,enchant, and inspire. We have over 50authors joining us this year, includingHeather O’Neill, Emma Donoghue,Lisa Moore, Terry Fallis, BarbaraGowdy, Andrew Pyper and manymore! There is something for everyoneregardless of age and literary tastes, sobring your family and friends to relaxin the grass at this outdoor festivalwhile listening to authors representinga wide range of genres, includingliterary fiction, poetry, nonfiction,humour, thrillers and spoken word!

In addition to our main event onSeptember 10, the Eden Mills Writers’Festival will be hosting an adultwriting workshop with an acclaimedauthor, and a keynote speaker event atthe University of Guelph on September9. There will also be a teen writingworkshop on September 25.

For more information about theFestival – including a full list ofauthors and event details – please visitemwf.ca. Don’t miss the chance tohear your favourite, award-winningauthors – and to discover new ones –in the village of Eden Mills, Ontario!

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AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MENTO TELL THEIR STORIES

by Lisa Browning

“When you stand and share your storyin an empowering way, your story willheal you and your story will healsomebody else.”

- Iyanla Vanzant

We all have a story. Everyone in thislife has faced adversity and challenge,to one degree or another. It is onlywhen we face our challenges, with anunderlying faith that we will comethrough them stronger and morealigned with our authentic selves thanever before, that we give ourselvespermission to shine.

I published Volume 1 of SHARING:our stories, our selves, our success, ananthology of women’s empowermentstories, in December 2013, incommemoration of the National Dayof Remembrance and Action onViolence Against Women.

Volume 2, an anthology of men'sstories, was published in November2014, in commemoration ofInternational Men's Day.

Volume 3, the second anthology ofwomen's stories, was published inDecember 2015.

I am now in the process of publishingthe second anthology of men's stories,and still have some spots to fill.

I asked a couple of the writers fromVolume 2 to give me some feedback

about the experience of sharing theirstory. Here’s what they had to say:

Writing my story for Sharing was agreat experience in being authenticabout the kind of person I truly am. Ihad never fully written about livingwith a neurological condition before,and now I find myself able to talkabout my life with Asperger'sSyndrome with ease.

Evan MeadWriter and Film-maker

I first heard about Lisa Browning froma friend who had contributed to Lisa’sfirst Sharing anthology, and my friendsimply raved about what anempowering experience it was workingwith Lisa. At this point of my life, myworld had imploded, and I had justentered a treatment program toaddress persistent issues withchildhood trauma that had followedme well into my adult years. Reachingout to Lisa felt like I was jumpingtowards a terrifying void, and I’d nevergone that far outside my comfort zone.But guess what? Lisa was there tocatch me, and she guided my sobeautiful through the writing process.For the first time, I felt safe enough toshare a story that had been sitting deepwithin my soul for most of my life.

I don’t know if I’ll ever find the wordsto say how transformative thisexperience has been for me. In theprocess, I not only discovered mypassion for writing, but I also met theother amazing individuals whocontributed to the men’s Sharinganthology. And here we are a few yearslater, and since the publication of mystory in the anthology, I have gone onto publish my own book, and I’mcurrently in negotiations withpublishers to sell my second book. So,I guess what I’m trying to say is, if youare feeling like you’re stuck, and thatyour voice doesn’t matter, why notjump towards that void like I and theother men and women have before you.

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Your story is in you for a reason––it’sa gift to be shared.

Jean-Paul BédardElite Athlete, Speaker, and Author

If you’d like to participate in theanthology, please email me atlisa@onethousandtrees.com, and I’llbe happy to provide more information.

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50 MOMENTS IN AUGUSTby Jason Nadon

Have you ever had the desire to be apart of something special? To beimmersed in a fully inclusive spacethat has the opportunity for interactionsthat are only limited by the boundariesof your imagination and willingness toconnect? Sound too good to be true?There was a time when I thought itwas, but a journey in self-discoveryand a well-timed challenge proved tome that such a place does exist - andleft me with an overwhelming feelingof gratitude that fuels me to tell youabout my experience in the hope thatyou’ll search out your own.

Early in 2016 I committed to better myhealth. Unlike previous “commit-ments” that I had made to myself in thepast - this time felt different. There wasa strong motivation and an internalswitch that had flipped and lookingback I realize that determination andperseverance are extremely powerfulwhen you can let them take focus overstress and anxiety. Within six monthsof making my commitment - I had seenwonderful success in a loss of nearly85 pounds. Some of the keys to thesuccess included daily affirmations,strong support systems, manysmall/short-term goals and a burningdesire for change. By July, I waslooking for ways to adopt a moreactive lifestyle that would celebrate mysuccess and be in line with my futuregoals.

It was at this time that I came acrossthe 30x30 Nature Challenge(http://30x30.davidsuzuki.org). Havingparticipated in similar challengesrelated to other creative pursuits, Idecided to take a closer look. Thechallenge asks participants for “30minutes per day for 30 days in nature”as a way to connect and learn of thebenefits of being outdoors. The“challenge” aspect was the perfectimpetus for me to adopt this as a newgoal and would fit in well with thehope to be more active.

The first thing that I needed to do wasto find a local nature resource to be myhome base for the challenge.Thankfully, this search didn’t take long- and I was surprised at the number ofresources that were close to my homethat were ready for use anytime I wasready. These, sometimes invisible,resources are pillars of what makes agreat community and I can admit nowthat I am embarrassed that I had notsearched them out and learned aboutthem earlier. Once I found the resourcethat I would use for my challengejourney - I just needed to commit thetime to getting out there and seeingwhat came from the experience.Committing to 30 minutes a day for 30consecutive days can seem over-whelming so I used the lesson I hadlearned from my weight loss journeyand decided to commit to the 30minutes each morning as part of mydaily affirmations. Small goals set andachieved in repetition can equal greatchange over time.

The first couple days were the mostdifficult. I had a lot on my mind - homeprojects, financial concerns, personalgoals, stress from work, and manyother things that I’m sure of whichmany can relate. I would spend mytime walking a nature trail in the localNational Park and I found myselfdistracted by all these things in mymind. I walked, and checked the timeon my cell phone often.

An interesting thing happened eachday that I visited the park - the list ofthings that were distracting me startedto get shorter. The reason was partiallybecause I was spending some timeallowing myself to think about thethings “top of mind” and workingthrough decisions that I needed tomake around them to resolve them orto move them to a spot where theyweren’t of such value to be taking upmy thoughts. By the fourth day in thepark, I was able to focus on what wasin my thoughts, organize higherpriority items and use my cell phone asa way to get them out of my head andinto a place where they could beactionable at a later time.

With my mind clear of distraction, Istarted to notice my surroundings. Ihad spent nearly a week in the parkwalking a similar path each day buthad been too distracted to notice allthat was around me. It was at this pointthat I first realized just how much Istarted to value the time I wasspending in nature. I felt as though Ihad already received benefit from theexperience in being able to clear mythoughts and ease stress - and now Iwas excited about all the interestingthings that I started to notice. I startedtaking pictures and sharing the positiveimpact with those around me.

The natural beauty of plants, trees andother living creatures that inhabited thearea were the first things that I came toappreciate in the second week of thechallenge. Somewhere in the secondweek, I also started to experience mysurroundings using senses other thansight alone. I heard new soundseveryday and started to recognizefamiliar songs from birds. I began tofeel a connection to the area. Since mymind was clear of distraction and mysense of appreciation for all that I wasexperiencing continued to rise - anurge to brainstorm ways of sharingthese wonderful feelings that I washaving with others emerged. I wouldwork to capture many of the ideas for

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later reflection. Some of the ideas wereso strong that I would be forced to stopin the moment and take note of thefeeling. Some feelings were so strongthat I felt inspired to capture what Icould of the feeling in an audio note,sketch or written words. This feelingof inspiration / brainstorming and driveto create continued and gave me morereason to visit the my nature resourceeach day.

The sense of connection with naturegrew strongly for me in my third weekof visits to the park as I experienced asignificant feeling of being a part of theliving ecosystem. I felt a heightenedrespect for all things living in this placewhere I was spending more of mytime. As I walked down trails that werenow very familiar - birds that flewaway previously now watched me as Ipassed, not feeling a need to move outof fear. I took this as a sign ofacceptance and I felt my gratitude tothis environment and all the things init expand with each park visit.

As Day 30 of the Nature Challengecame to an end, I looked back on all Ihad experienced and knew that Iwanted to share my story with othersand wanted them to have theopportunity to experience their ownjourney connecting with nature. In myjourney I found a chance to rebuild, achance to disconnect and connect innew ways, an appreciation for natureand all things in it as well as those whohave the passion to keep these placesavailable for communities to enjoy. Inaddition to that, I lost 19 pounds whilewalking a total of 220 kilometers in thepark during the challenge period. I alsoattribute this introduction of activityinto my lifestyle as a major factor thatled me to continued weight losssuccess - reaching a total of 205pounds lost as of February 2017.

In terms of creative output directlyinspired by my connection with nature- I created and self-published a photobook with musings about my

experiences. My work was displayedin my local community Arts andVisitor Centre in March of this yearand the photos will be on display in mylocal library in August. I am alsolaunching the “50 Moments CreativeChallenge” in August (www.50moments.ca), which is a companionchallenge to the 30x30 NatureChallenge in that I’m asking those whoparticipate to allow themselves toconnect with nature, be inspired andcreate something that can be sharedwith your community.

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LESSONS FROM A BABY FOXby Sandra Wilson

I stopped in to visit a friend last weekand learned she had some baby foxesliving under her porch. After a cup oftea together we ventured outside to seeif we could spy them.

Sure enough, a little baby fox wascurled up asleep on the lawn. Weapproached carefully to see if we couldget a better look. The little critter justlaid there eying us carefully but didn’trun away in fear.

It looked as though this particular foxwas tiny and weak. When he stood tostretch a gust of wind even knockedhim over. Fearing the little guy wasstarving my friend got a bit of food forhim. When no other fox babiesappeared with the smell of food (shehad seen four on a previous day) weworried that this little one had beenabandoned. Right away we startedthinking of how we can help rescue thelittle fox.

But a short time later the rest of thesiblings arrived and even the mothermade a brief appearance. We wentaway relieved that the fox still had afamily and a chance to survive.

On my drive home I noticed a personsitting at an intersection holding a signsaying he was hungry. His unkemptappearance made it obvious that hewas in need of some assistance to helpsurvive. But I am ashamed to say thatI just continued on my way.

Why was it so easy for me to puttogether a plan to help a hungry wildanimal but I don’t think to stop and

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MyAdventureCalledLife

help a hungry person? Sure, a baby foxis so cute and seemingly helpless but itis a wild animal and it will bite. Ahungry human is usually grateful forassistance and will thank you politely.They may not look appealing but theyaren’t much different then you or I,except struggling a little bit more.

I vow now to think more about myactions. If I can help a baby fox (whichin the end didn’t really need help) thanI can also help people, and through mywords, perhaps I can inspire others tohelp too.

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A STORY TO TELLby Catherine Graham

When the first sparks of inspirationstarted to come into my mind to writemy first book, I was 23 years old, asingle mother to three young children,a high school education and not muchmore going for me. I had doubts that Icould actually do it; yet, somethingkept pulling at my heart strings. Write!

Around Mother's Day, I wrote a 'Note'on Facebook, titled 'Happy Mother'sDay', for all of my female friends thatwere a mother in one way or another. Iwas encouraged to send it to the localnewspaper to be published. Again,doubts crept in, and I hesitated. Again,something pushed me to press ‘send’on an email, to the editor.

Within an hour I had a response. Theeditor loved my piece, and wanted toput it in the Mother's Day edition of thenewspaper.

I was dumbfounded. My work wasnoticed! Not by just anyone; but, anewspaper editor at that!

When he asked for my bio, I told himI was a stay at home mom of 3.

He asked me where I had gone toschool.

I told him I had finished my highschooling at a teen pregnancy shelterand had no further education than that,to which he replied, “This is the bestpiece I have read in a long time. Youshould consider going to school to bea writer.”

This really got those sparks ofinspiration going and I started to planeach chapter of my first book which Ihad already named Woman To Woman:The Journey To Me.

Well, as fear happens, it crept up again,in big ways. While walking with mypartner to a bus stop, I expressed myfears. What if everyone hates it? Whatif no one buys it? What if I can't finishit? What if? What if?

While he tried to suppress my fears,they only grew bigger. We got onto acrowded bus, and our conversationcame to a stop. One stop later, ahomeless looking, drunken man gotonto the bus. He sat behind me andcleared his throat, mumbling words Icouldn't understand. “Excuse me,Miss?”, as he tapped my shoulder

Being Canadian, being nice or beingcurious (I'm still not sure): I turnedaround to look at him. His crystal blueeyes peered at me.

He continued, “You know, everyonehas a story to tell. Not just me, not justyou, but everybody. And if we all tookthe chance to share our story, we wouldall be better connected. You and I.Everybody. And we gotta tell ourstories. Even if it's to reach just oneperson. You can change the world bytouching just one person.”

His breath smelled rank with beer, hisskin matted with dirt, and yet; he feltlike an answer to my prayers. Hestopped talking after that; however,about 20 minutes later, as he got up toget off the bus, he turned to me again,and said, “So are you gonna tell yourstory?”

I smiled and nodded, and watched, ashe got off. He started to sing 'AmericanPie', as he left the bus, and I wasn'tsure, if I was dreaming or not.

Nine months later, I received my firstcopy of my book, in the mail. I was soexcited and proud to show my partner,and I ran to my van to drive to his workand show him. As I turned on the van,the radio came on. “Bye, bye, MissAmerican Pie; Drove my Chevy to thelevy but the levy was dry; Them goodold boys are drinking whiskey andrye...”

I flashed back to my experience withan angelic stranger, as I held my bookin my hands. Everybody has a story totell. Not just me. Not just you. Buteverybody.

So I say this to you now. Take thechance. Write down your thoughts, andwrite down those sparks of inspiration.Who knows what new reality you willbe able to create for yourself?!

Woman to Woman: The Journey to Meis a available on www.lulu.com.

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6

THE BEST THING ABOUTBEING PUBLISHED

by One Thousand Trees Authors

The best thing that happened as aresult of having my book published isthat finally, a BIG dream that I hadcarried for decades has becomereality. Now when people say, "Craig,you should write a book" or, when Ieven say that to myself, I can say,"Well, I have! I am a published authorfirst through One Thousand Trees, andmy book is also found on Amazon." Myconfidence and belief in myself hasincreased tremendously. I don't know ifI could have done it without theguidance of Lisa Browning and OneThousand Trees. I'm excited to writemore!

Craig DubeckiThe WYLIWYG Principle™

519-404-9278http://www.wyliwyg.com/

The best thing that has happened to mesince getting my book published wasthe chance to visit classrooms anddaycare centres as their visitingauthor to share my story with thechildren. There is nothing any betterthan being able to inspire literacy inchildren and even encourage them todream of making their own book.

Sandra WilsonWriter, Photographer, Educator

www.quiteacharacter.ca

I saw how many people in thecommunity cared about cross-culturalstories and showed so much support.The power of love!

Heather EmbreeAuthor, Holistic Practitioner, and

Soul Coachwww.blossomingheart.ca

Having my book published with LisaBrowning of One Thousand Trees,made the journey smooth and lessstressful, from the editing to the

completed printing. Using a localservice made me feel better aboutsupporting the community. I wouldrecommend Lisa as a publisher andhave done so when anyone asks me,How did you get your book published?

Lee PrykeHappiness Coach, Author, Energy

Therapist, Publisherwww.iamican.ca

The best thing that happened was thatI can say that I did it, and was able toshare this with family and friends. Ihope my grandchildren will save it andbe able to say that their Grandmawrote a book. I also loved the fact thatother people's children enjoyed mybook as well!

Brenda CassidyAuthor, Editor and

Forget-Me-Not Coordinator

The best thing that happened is that thebooks are now raising money for aworthwhile environmental cause, whilealso raising awareness about that areon the west coast of Canada! Thewhole process was supportive andencouraging!

Cynthia SpringAuthor

There have been many positive andinspiring moments since having MyParents Aren't NOOBS! publishedthrough Saplings.

Here are a few outstanding andmemorable moments:

• Being able to display my book andspeak publicly about My Parents Aren'tNOOBS! Was very exciting. I enjoyedmeeting so many amazing and talentedauthors. Truly an awesomeopportunity.

• My co-authored book beingmentioned in the Guelph Tribune -Guelph's Talented Young Writers Get

Their Start in ETCH (Jeremy LukeHill). It was such a pleasant surpriseto see the cover of my book in thearticle as it was unexpected.

• Attending an award presentation atOur Lady of Lourdes Catholic HighSchool with my editor and publisher(Lisa Browning). Jay Dixon waspresented with an award for his simpleyet beautiful illustrations that broughtthe books content to life. It wasamazing to witness the support fromJay's parents and his high school.

• Wellington Catholic District SchoolBoard ordering a case (50 copies) ofMy Parents Aren't NOOBS! to disperseto feeder schools.

• Lastly and most importantly ... havingthe support from Saplings, LisaBrowning, Anthea Helps (Co-Author),Jay Dixon (Illustrator), NoahNogueira (son) and all the other folksthat helped get this project off theground has been truly inspiring.

With use of technology on the rise, thisheartfelt story for children (age 5-8)and parents highlights the importanceof technology (video games) withtoday’s generation of youth. MyParents Aren't NOOBS also providesimportant information for children andparents about key elements innavigating video games and promotinghealthy habits (communication, limitsetting, game content/ratings andbalance/variety). To know that thisbook could provide information to helpfamilies become educated and makeinformed decisions about technologyin the home is one of my greatest andmost hopeful achievements in life.

Michelle NogueiraAuthor and Problem Gambling

Counsellor

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THE SPIRIT BABYALPHABET BOOK

by Christine Nightingale

Many people want to know what aresome similarities between SpiritBabies. Of course they are as differentas the children in a classroom... butstill, there are many commondenominators. As a long-termelementary teacher, I would like topresent my alphabet of Spirit Babies.

Aware of every thought and feelingwhich their mom has long beforeconception, as they are always in heraura.

Brothers and sisters...Spirit Babies arevery aware of other children already inthe family. If their older siblings are

Children ...although spirit babies takeon the persona of young children(usually when speaking with theirmom), they are also capable ofaccessing the knowledge of previouslifetimes which resides in the higherself, which does not incarnate fully.

Daddy...they are all aware of who theirfather is. They have strong opinionsabout their daddy needing to be goodto their mommy!

Ecologically aware...Very frequentlythey express concerns about the stateof the planet they will be living on, andhope that their parents will do their bit

to make the environment healthy forthem.

Forgiveness...If mom has had aprevious termination, they are

Generally very forgiving and happy toreturn.

Home...They often ask if their homecan be near unspoiled Nature.

Indigo... Some of them are Indigochildren, or Rainbow , Crystal or Starchildren... all new souls who havecome to help humanity evolve.

Just in time...for as many of them say,we need to all work to save our homeplanet in the age of the Anthropocene(human activity is determining climatechange , extinction of animals, extremeweather events etc.)

Knowledge: They realize that they arecoming to this world to learn fromphysical experience.

Love: They frequently express lovefor their mom, dad, and siblings.

Mother: Almost all Spirit Babieschoose their mother, while somechoose the couple and some the father.New experiences/Nature: They veryfrequently express a love of

Nature. All look forward to newexperiences, and have often chosentheir parents for the experiences theycan offer.

Old souls: Many, but not all, havelived many lives before.

Past lives: Some have shared past liveswith their parents.

Questions: They are happy to answerany questions you may have for them.

Ready: It is very important to themthat you are ready for the responsibility

of parenting them.

Spiritual journey: Many state that theyneeded their parents to go on a spiritualjourney. Often miscarriage or difficultygetting pregnant is part of thatjourney.)

Trust: Unconditional love and trust arementioned as important to having asuccessful pregnancy.

Understanding that they are alreadyaware even before conception is veryimportant.

Violet is the colour of the third eyechakra, which you will learn to open asyou learn to communicate with yourchildren.

Wise: They sometimes appear as littlechildren and sometimes as wise elders.

eXcited to come? You bet!

You are the most important person tothem, Mom!

Zoology: Most of them love animals,and some ask for a small pet to love.

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: SARAH NICOLAI

11

BOOKS FOR ST. LUCIAReprinted from

http://www.ugdsb.ca

On May 23, Guelph’s CentennialCollegiate Vocational Institute held aPass the Baton event at the school,raising funds and awareness for globalliteracy. On the last week of school inSt. Lucia, thousands of students,parents and teachers are running in a198 km relay for literacy. This relaywas organized by local charityOneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation.

OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation isa charitable organization that helpspromote literacy in the EasternCaribbean. They donate books,promote reading festivals and more.Their goal is to create readers who canimagine new responses to achallenging future in the developingworld. OneWorld SchoolhouseFoundation works with Canadian

schools, students, organization andmore to bring literacy to the Caribbean.

Upper Grand DSB teacher, SonyaWhite, along with her husband RichardClewes have been bringing books,authors and literacy to the Caribbeanfor several years. While visiting St.Lucia with her daughter, they werecurious about bookstores and decidedto stop at a school and speak with theprincipal. There, they learned that thereare no bookstores in St. Lucia andthere are very few libraries. As amother and teacher, this wasunacceptable to White and sparked thefounding of the OneWorldSchoolhouse Foundation. Over thepast five years, they have collectedhundreds of thousands of books forCaribbean communities. To show theirsupport for students in St. Lucia, CCVIstudents and staff did their part on May23 to help raise money for literacy inSt. Lucia.

CCVI English Head, Robin Todd,organized the CCVI Pass the Batonevent. Todd has run in the BostonMarathon and is passionate about thiscause. Featured at the event wasCanadian Olympic runner Eric Gillis,who is a three time Olympian. Gilliswas on hand to help promote the eventand run the track with students.Students battled Gillis for the title offastest runner at the event and tried tobeat him in a 100m dash.

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BOOKS GALOREby Colleen Heighington

We have "Books Galore"Some for pleasure,

some to exploreThey can help to relax us

after a stressful dayThey can teach usmany new things,

In such an amazing way!!

Some may bring us laughterSome may bring us tears

Others may end in heartbreakWhile others may

bring us good cheer!!

This world would be so lonelyIf it were not for "Books Galore"

So do yourself a favour,And visit your nearest

book store

Just slowly walk downeach aisle

Browse through andyou will quickly see

A book is waiting for youto take home,

Just for you and me!!

40 Baker Street Has Taken It to the Street

The Out Of Poverty Society of Guelph is an amazingorganization helping the homeless in Guelph, and serving themost vulnerable in our community.

Formerly housed at 40 Baker Street, as of Monday, April 27, theOut of Poverty Society has been operating from the street.

Donations are needed now more than ever. Please emailoutofpovertyguelph.ca or visit their facebook page atwww.facebook.com/groups/oops.guelph/ if you can help.

To help cool down from the relay,students hosted a bake sale for thecharity, which included baked goodsand jumbo freezies.

Students and staff energetically ran thetrack and passed the baton to oneanother to raise money and awarenessfor this cause.

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LIVING IN THE PRESENTby Sandra Wilson

A quote by Stephen King that Irecently read made a huge impact onme:

“My childhood is a fogged-outlandscape from which occasionalmemories appear like isolated trees.”

I too have a fogged-out landscape ofchildhood memories. There wasn’tabuse or terrifying things to block out,in fact, according to photographs therewere some wonderful moments. But Istruggle to access these moments. I amlucky that my Dad enjoyed photo-graphy and had captured numerouspoints in my childhood to either helpme remember or, at the very least,allow me to see.

I do believe that all that we experienceis part of who we become and so Iknow that because of who I am today Ilearned a lot about helping others,about being a strong person and aboutbeing a good person. Yet, I could not

isolate any particular lessons or ideasthat were introduced to me. Certainlythis foggy memory seems like a tragicloss, and in a way it is, but what I havegleaned from it is to live life one dayat a time. Move forward putting out thebest of yourself each day. It is not mymemories that add to who I am but thelegacy of what I do with my life.

I won’t necessarily remember thespecifics from my past, even now Istruggle to recall moments of mychildren’s childhood, but I can live mylife so that I am remembered by others.I can inspire and encourage others sothey can move forward being the bestthat they can be. And whether it isremembered by me or by them doesn’tmatter. What matters is making adifference now that creates a positivefuture.

It is easier for me to see the wondersof the future then to remember those ofthe past and so I will walk forwards tothat future, one day at a time.

* * *

A WHOLE NEW WAY OFTHINKING

by Scott Logan

Back in 2008, I was sitting in thewaiting room, of my girl friend’sacupuncture clinic, in Mexico, waitingfor her to finish, with her patients. Allof my life, I had been in business. First,a bank manager after college, then Iwas in retail sales, an executivedirector for a charity, and currently, asales and service representative, for avideo company. All of this alternativemedicine stuff was totally new to me.I had never been hospitalized or verysick my entire life so this was likeanother world. Interesting, but, maybea little weird, perhaps? I have alwaysbeen open to new things so I decidedto give it a chance. Plus, I really likedmy girl friend so I was attentive whenshe talked about homeopathy topics.

I was thinking about my job in Canada,and wondering how long she would bewith her patients when I noticed a bookon the table. It was a manual. Men lovemanuals. How to build or repair thingshas always been a hobby of mine so Ipicked it up and started to skimthrough it. It was about energy work.

But a special kind. A non-touch mentalfocus kind of thing. It sounded likemagic to me. I had always beenfascinated by magic my entire life sowhile a lot of things were hard tounderstand, I kept reading. This author,Dr. Kam Yuen seemed to be a prettycool guy. (Dr. Yuen had also been anaero-space engineer, and was now achiropractic doctor.) My attention waspeaked when I read Dr. Yuen’sbiography stating that he had workedwith David Carridine, the movie actor,on “Kung Fu”, the television series. Ihad watched the show, all the time, inthe 60’s and 70’s. This guy was a KungFu Master, a 35th level dragon orsomething. (I believe this is quiteimportant in the Kung Fu field, but Ididn’t know at the time.)

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I read the manual, cover to cover.Evidently one could heal anythingphysical, mental, emotional, psycho-logical, and spiritual. What else wasleft? This modality, if true, seemed tobe able to correct and cure anything!And, It seemed that possibly anyonecould do this healing method. Maybe,even me, a business person?

I investigated courses with Dr. Yuen.The modality consisted of three levelsor classes which had to be repeated,and then, if you wanted to becomecertified, you would need to do a threelevel internship, working directly, withDr. Yuen. The courses were all over theUnited States. Different levels atdifferent locations. So how could I takethese courses without spending anincredible amount of money? I decidedthat if Dr. Yuen ever came to Canada,specifically Ontario, I would take atleast one course, to see if this was forme, and if I could even do some of thethings, he mentioned, in the manual. Ilet it go, not wasting anymore timethinking about Dr. Yuen, and hishealing system.

A year later Dr. Yuen arrived inCanada, to teach two weekend courses.I immediately enrolled, in the firstcourse, just to see, if it was possible,for me, to learn this energy work. Atfirst, I was lost. Dr. Yuen and the restof the class were talking about energyflows through some things calledmeridians and about feeling theweakness of something. What the heckwas all this about? Everyone seemedto be doing well and even seemed toknow what they were doing. Mostpeople had Reiki or Body Talk/ Touchtraining. I knew how to read a spreadsheet or how to read a customer I wasselling to; but, problems with theheart? Or problems with psychologicalfears? Karmas, traumas, spiritattachments? I had no idea!

They were saying things had to bestrong or weak when you checkedsomething. Either a heart would test

strong, if it was working perfectly or itwould be weak, if there was a problemwith it. If there was a problem, youwere to identify the problem and thensimply tell the body what to do, inorder to correct the problem. Itsounded so simple; but, could it reallybe that simple?

Well, by the end of the weekend,despite being extremely unsure ofmyself, I was actually starting tounderstand, and to feel things, usingmy intuition. The ultimate test camewhen I went home, after the course. Idecided to barbecue. I left the metaltongs in the barbecue while I went toget something from the kitchen. WhenI came out, I lifted the barbecue lid andgrabbed hold of the tongs which wereincredibly hot. I burned my finger verybadly, and rushed into the house, toadminister first aid. I stopped andthought that I should be able to healmyself with my new Yuen knowledge.I focused on my finger and told it todelete the dead, burnt skin cells, and toincrease the speed of cellularregeneration. Almost immediately, thepain stopped and I felt a tingling in myfinger like when skin is healing. I wasamazed! Shortly thereafter, my fingerwas fine. No pain, and not even thetingling anymore. It had healed itselfin minutes. I was so impressed, Ibooked my spot, in the next course, thefollowing weekend.

I continued on this path, taking all therequired courses, and even a few more.It was always interesting listening toDr. Yuen teach, as he would go offtopic, and start talking about anentirely different subject. Even if, youhad taken a particular course before,there were always new things to learn.With lots of practice, I really becamecompetent with the Yuen MasterySystem. When I visited my girlfriend,in Mexico, I started to work with herpatients. We discovered that I couldreally help people to heal themselves.We decided that we would marry, andin 2010, I sold my house, and moved

to Guadalajara, Mexico.

By working with clients, all day forfive days a week, I became quitecompetent in my energy work. Now, Icould project my thought into abuilding and see the rooms or pipes, inthe walls and floors, and more. Iremember we were touring someMayan ruins, and I saw a templepyramid, without any doors orwindows. I told my friends that therewas this very low passageway, about ametre wide, leading into a room withthe same low ceiling. My friends justsmiled. I wasn’t sure if they believedme or not. A few weeks later on theHistory Channel, they were showingthe exploration of this same pyramid.I called my wife to watch. Thearcheologists had to use a mobile robotto explore this very low passagewayabout a metre wide which led to aroom with a very low ceiling. It wasthe same pyramid! How About That?!I was pretty proud of myself, to say theleast.

Periodically, clients would ask me, if Ibelieved in a God. I had lost my faith,back in 1981 when my father died, ofuntreatable pancreatic cancer. I hadbeen devastated by his death, andcould not believe, a kind loving Godwould let such a good man die. Istopped believing.

With my energy work, I exorciseddemons, attached to people, I foundincredibly positive spirits which Icould only call Angels, and talked withdeparted souls who told me that therewas a heaven. But a God. No sign.Energetically or otherwise.

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One night I had a very strong intuitiveurge to send my thought out into theuniverse. I went here and there, andfinally felt some incredibly positive,loving, and caring energy. I had seenpositive spirits before, but they werenothing compared to the strong energyI was feeling: plus, the size of thisBeing. There was no end, top tobottom, or left side to right side. Thiswas incredible! This could only beGod. There is no other explanation. Ihad literally contacted God. Needlessto say, I now believe there is a God andthat the Creator is with each of us, ifwe allow it.

My life has totally changed these pastyears. I have a new career, and a newand strong belief in a God who I knowto be real. As a result of my reading,Dr. Kam Yuen’s Manual, and mychoice to learn his energy modality, mylife shifted, dramatically! I havechanged my career, renewed my beliefin God, re-married and moved toMexico. Unfortunately, my wife and Iseparated after six years, and I havesince returned to Kitchener, Ontario,Canada . But, all of this is due, toreading a book that I glanced at whilewaiting, in an acupuncture officewaiting room.

* * *

WHEN PETE WAS A KIDby Dennis Perrier

A small town in Saskatchewan in the1950s was the absolute best place andtime for a little boy with an over-developed sense of curiosity to growup Pete, all the other “free range” kidsand adults occupied roles that allowedchildren to play. Kids discovered whatit meant to be members of acommunity where water was lugged inpails from a well, electricity was oftenabsent, and sewer systems were non-existent. Children were expected to begood. Parents did not worry so muchabout being “good parents.” Theirchildren played outside, where theywere given their independence to playspontaneously. They weren’t given alot of rules, but they sure found outwhat the rules were when they brokethem!

I only lived in a small village insouthern Saskatchewan for sevenyears-ages two to nine. Our familymoved away to Medicine Hat, Alberta,a city of 25,000 people. I went back tothe village for a reunion in the mid80's. Of course we talked about beingraised in a place of 120 people and thesort of childhood we had. I mentionedthat someone here should write a bookabout those years during the 1950's.When Pete Was a Kid is the result. It'sa story of when kids were "free range"and what they learned about becomingmature, independent adults.

When Pete Was A Kid is available atwww.ottbookstore.com.

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15

GRATITUDE CORNERby Michelle Statton-Dickie

Habits!

People always ask me “How do you get your children to do gratitude everyday? My kids probably wouldn’t do it!” TRUTH? My children don’t dogratitude every day. We try to! But, just like any new thing, it takes time, tocreate a habit. They say it takes 21 days to create a habit and 90 days tocreate a lifestyle. This is also true for adults. So, be patient with yourself!If you miss a day, carry on. One day you will find yourself naturally doingit as it becomes part of who you are.

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THE BIRDY BOOKby Steph Van De Ven

The Birdy Book is a compilation ofmelodic and positively powerfulpoems focusing on love, joy, courage,kindness, and happiness with gentleguidance, as well as thoughtsuggestions. This bright and happybook is designed to be a positive,uplifting experience each time youread it, and the only thing you have todo is practice, read and repeat!

Available at www.amazon.ca.

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THE BEST NOVELI EVER READ

by Cindy van Wonderen

It was the best of times; it was theworst of times. A tale of resurrection isprecisely what books are to me: thevitality in story, words, structure.

I love a good novel. The story arc givespace, a structure that builds withanticipation, a sense of place anddynamics of character. What could bemore satisfying for this story-lovingpeople-watching, word-worshippinggirl? It's the visit into the characters’homes, down winding streets, the walkin fields afar, golden moments andpointed dialogue that carries me. It'sthe voyage into the folds of greymatter, the ventricles of the heart, andthe blemishes and blessings of soulswritten on the page that takes me downthe path. It's being on the same pageand lovingly turning to the next thatreturns me home…and sends me outagain. I love a good novel!

Since one of my earliest novel readsThat Was Then, This Is Now I've beendrawn to book titles. There’s been theodd Sartor Resartus, the curiousSomething Wicked This Way Comes,the comedic The Lust Lizard ofMelancholy Cove, and the poignant (be

still my heart) The Ocean At the End ofthe Lane. They all rocked my world asmuch as the singularity movingSiddhartha, Rockbound and Ishmael.There was my young sons’ night timefavourite, Treasure Island. As wellthere’s been the seemingly didactic butactually lovely H is for Hawk, theexquisite Who Has Seen the Wind andThe Diviners. Yet two of my mostbeloved reads are single chapterspointedly titled ‘Blood in the Gutter’(Understanding Comics) and ‘TheGrand Inquisitor’ (The BrothersKaramazov). One beholds the powerof suggestion; the other bequeaths thepower of ambiguity at the balance offreedom. In each the call to the readeris for suspended belief … and a mindshift that could literally change yourtune! Sweet it is to be held in the pagesof a chapter, holding the book in handwhile it's story carries my heartthrough the air, notes playing throughtime and sentiment. Like a pair ofwings that we’re met with mid-air, abook’s tale can bring us home. For it isin reading that we write our ownwords.

The best novel I ever read moves frommy night table to my coffee table, attimes into my luggage, back to mybookshelf and into my hands again. I

read it's sublime passages in the finestmoments of solitude and see themcoming off the page on occasions ofadventure. Smile on my face, the joyresounds. The only question is whichis my next read. Which book will feedmy slowly-being-written memoir? Itwill sit alongside on my night table, ina select pile, my books, my soulstack.

The best novel I ever read is the oneI'm reading at any one moment in time!

* * *

WRITING FOR CHILDREN:THE REWARDS AND THE

REALITIESby Marilyn Helmer

Early in my writing career, I wasdelighted to hear that my short story,“Risky Business,” had won third prizein a writing contest. Although the storyitself has nothing to do with the writingprocess, the title certainly does. As Isoon learned, writing is indeed a riskybusiness.

Shortly after that, a children’s bookeditor told me that her companyreceives over 5000 unsolicitedmanuscripts each year. Of that number,

17

they only publish 10 books. Even themathematically challenged like myselfcan see that the odds against gettingpublished are about 500 to 1.

If the reality is that writing is such arisky business, why would anyonethink of becoming a writer? For me, itwas the love of reading that drew meinto the risky business of writing.

When my children were born, it wasnatural for me to read to them. Theyare only fifteen months apart in age.Chris, the older of the two, was a veryactive child and he taught his littlesister well. One particularly trying day,I grabbed a copy of Dr. Seuss’s TheCat in the Hat, plunked a child oneither side of me, and began to read.Magic happened. My dynamic duosnuggled up and listened. From thenon, reading became one of the mostenjoyable parts of our day.

As I listened to their pleas of “Onemore story, please!”, “Can we read myfavourite again?” I was reminded ofwhat a wonderful source of pleasureand enjoyment books are. What a joyit would be to write stories myself,stories that would stir children’simaginations, that would make themthink and dream. In that magical Aha!moment, my dream was born. I wasgoing to be a writer.

The decision to become a writer wasan easy one. I could work at home. Ihad the tools – a desk and my trustyold portable typewriter. I was all set.This was going to be fun. And wouldn'tthe rewards be great.

I signed up for a Creative Writingcourse which included critiquing eachother’s manuscripts. My storiesreceived positive feedback. I figuredthat I had it made. And I figuredwrong.

That was my first brush with reality. Isent my stories off to publishers andwhat did I get back? Rejection letters.When the rejection letters grew to ateetering pile on my desk, I facedreality. My writing was not yet readyfor the world of the proud andpublished. So I became a closet writer.I tucked my stories and poems away infile folders, safe from the critical eyesof a publisher.

Fortunately fate stepped in. I joined awriters organization calledCANSCAIP and signed up for theirannual day of workshops. One of theworkshop was given by a well-knownchildren’s author named KathyStinson. She said that when she firststarted writing, she filed her storiesaway in a drawer thinking Maybesomeday ... “But finally one day,” shecontinued, “I decided it was time totake my dreams out of the drawer andface reality with them.”

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Another Aha! moment - Kathy haddone exactly what I was doing. Shehad felt the same way I now did.Reality bit. Hidden away in filefolders, all my writing would ever bewas a dream. I wanted more. I wantedreality. I wanted to be a publishedauthor.

I came home that day with “Publish orPerish” ringing in my ears. I had nointention of perishing. My goal waspublishing. Bring on Project Reality!I set aside five mornings a week towrite. Every month I would submit aminimum of three manuscripts,without fail, no excuses. Rejectionslips be damned. Let them pile up. Iwas a woman on a mission.

For me, setting goals is an absolutenecessity. Writers are, for the mostpart, self-employed. That soundswonderful. You are your own boss. Butyou must also be your own self-motivator. You can put as much or aslittle time and effort into writing as youchose. And that is another reality ofwriting. It’s like anything else you do.The more you put into it, the moreyou’ll get out of it.

So what happened when I came out ofthe closet and submitted mymanuscripts to publishers? Rejectionletters. But now it was the rejectionletters I filed away in file folders.When a manuscript came back, I sentit off to another publisher. Eventuallypersistence paid off.

The first piece of writing I hadpublished was a poem called “Sly Fly”.When I opened my mailbox that day, alarge brown envelope from BuzzMagazine caught my eye. I racedinside, fortified myself with a cup oftea and opened the envelope.

Inside was a copy of the magazine withmy poem on page 11 and a cheque. Allthose past rejections vanished in aflash. I was a published author!

That year I had a total of three piecesof writing published. My second was ashort story I entered in a contest. Iclearly remember the day I receivedthe news that I had won the contest. Iwas literally walking on air. The prize,a computer, certainly did come inhandy, replacing my old portabletypewriter with the letter “a” that nolonger worked.

My third piece was another poem witha note from the editor saying shewould like to see more of my work.Another reward - an editor liked mywriting enough to ask for more.

Over the next couple of years, thegoals I set for submitting my stories,articles and poems on a regular basisresulted in the reward of having moreof my work published. Encouraged bymy success, I set a new goal, myultimate goal, to have a bookpublished.

My favourite genre is picture books sothat is what I concentrated on. I sentout a few stories that I felt were quitewonderful. Unfortunately publishersdid not agree. So, more rejection lettersquickly followed by more trips to thepost office.

Again persistence paid off. One of mystories came back with a positiverejection letter. Yes, such a thing doesexist. The publisher sent it back sayingthat she found my story “delightful”but a bit too gentle for their list. “But,”she added, “don’t give up on this one.”I didn’t, and the next publisher I sent itto accepted it. To my great joy, my firstbook, The Boy, the Dollar and theWonderful Hat, was published.

That summer, five years after I beganworking on Project Reality, I achievedwhat was to me the ultimate reward -my first published book. I was headedfor fame and fortune ... wasn’t I?

Once again, reality reared its uglyhead. The Boy, the Dollar and the

Wonderful Hat was not a commercialsuccess. Although it received goodreviews, it did not sell well. A grimthought crossed my mind. Maybe thereality was that I didn’t have what ittakes to write children’s books.

For a while, I went back to writingshort stories, articles and poems forchildren’s magazines. They met with afairly good rate of success. But everyonce in a while the old saying, “Whenthe going gets tough, the tough getgoing.”, crossed my mind. Maybe Ididn’t have what it takes to writechildren’s books, but the reality wasthat I would never find out unless Itried. So I got tough, I got going and Ireturned to my ultimate goal. Again,persistence paid off.

Nelson Education published my novel,Boathouse Treasure, in 1998. Aroundthat time, I began receiving invitationsfrom schools to talk to children aboutwriting. One question came up againand again - where do you get yourideas? That is another reality ofwriting. You have to come up withideas that you can turn into storiesextraordinary enough to attract theattention of a publisher.

I put together a presentation called“Ideas – Where Do Writers FindThem?”. One excellent source forideas, I told the children, was frompets. I used my third and fourthpublished books as examples.

My picture book, Fog Cat, was theresult of a lengthy struggle withanother dread reality of writing,“writer’s block”, or as my daughter soaptly named it, “writer’s blockhead”.An idea had been prowling through mymind for some time, brought to mindby Carl Sandburg’s poem “Fog.”Inspiration pounced and the slowlystory fell into place.

Aside from the reward of havinganother book published, Fog Catbrought an unexpected but enormously

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appreciated reward. It won four bookawards, three in Canada and one in theUnited States. The prizes involvedwere a reward in themselves but everybit as important was the reward ofhaving my writing recognizedfavorably by my peers. Mr. McGrattand the Ornery Cat followed Fog Catand added two more book awards.

Although I did take some time off tobask in the rewards of success, thereality is that success is fleeting unlessyou keep working at it. I did and wasrewarded with the publication of threemore picture books and more stories,articles and poems in children’smagazines in Canada and the UnitedStates. That sounds like a wonderfulreward, doesn’t it? The reality is thatI’m not mentioning the considerablecollection of rejected manuscripts thatfilled my file folders too.

Entering writing contests helped mestick to my goals. It also brought somespecial rewards too. Winning secondplace in a science article writingcontest, sponsored by an Americanpublisher, led in a completelyunexpected way to the offer of awriting project that was a dream cometrue.

My article was published with asidebar, mentioning my love ofretelling folk and fairy tales. By anamazing coincidence one of myCanadian publishers, Kids Can Press,saw the article. The editor asked if Iwould be interested in working on aproject they had in mind. The projectwas a ten-book series of retold fairytales. My answer was“ABSOLUTELY YES!!!!” For me, itwas a fairy tale dream come true.

Kids Can Press hired a freelance editorto work with me and working with agood editor is another reward ofwriting. He and I worked so welltogether that after the fairy tale projectwas finished, Kids Can Press offeredus another project - six theme-related

riddle books, targeting beginningreaders. That was one fun project!

Another reality of writing is that ithelps to diversify, to try new genres. Iheard that Orca Book Publishers waslooking for manuscripts targeting 6 to9-year-olds. After reading a few oftheir books, I knew this was an agegroup I would enjoy writing for. I gotto work and I now have five bookspublished in the Orca Echoes series.

So that is what writing, whether forchildren or adults, is all about – therewards and the realities. To me, therewards outweigh the realities ahundredfold!

One last reward to mention - there isno mandatory retirement age forwriters. It’s never too early or too lateto start. If writing is your dream, acceptthe realities and may success be yourultimate reward.

* * *

KIDS COOKING FROMSCRATCH

by Krista Harrison

Kids can learn about nutrition, cookingand helping others

When you walk into a producedepartment your senses are dosed withcolours, scents and textures of all thewonderful fruits and vegetables. Amultitude of greens, reds and yellowsdelight your eyes and the aromas offreshness tickle your nose. Of courseyou have to fill your basket withgoodies like mushrooms, kale,avocados and oranges. But once youget home what do you do? How areyou going to prepare these ingredientsinto a masterpiece your family willlove?

Krista Harrison who is a RegisteredHolistic Nutritionist (RHN), CulinaryNutrition Expert and CertifiedReflexologist, can help. Her new

cookbook Kids Cooking from Scratchis filled with recipes your family willeat up!

“My passion is for children’s health. Itis so important for kids to understandnutrition and be aware of the positivechanges they can make to their lives.”

This cookbook Kids Cooking fromScratch has recipes provided by kids.So, not only can you get your childreninvolved in the cooking process youcan help them learn about food,nutrition and helping others becauseeach purchase of this new cookbookwill help a hungry child.

Statistics show that one out of everyfive children go to school hungry. Thisis deeply upsetting to Krista and gaveher a focus for giving back to thecommunity.

Proceeds from the Kids Cooking fromScratch Cookbook will go towardsNutrition for Learning and the FoodRevolution KW.

You can pick up this new cookbookand involve your kids in cooking,learning and in a mission of helpingothers!

Find out more about nutrition fromKrista herself at her websitewww.kristaharrison.com

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Dear Angels,

I used to see ghosts in my house beforeyou cleared it. I’m glad they are goneand I’m glad they are out of theirmisery. Just one question: Why doghosts stick around instead of going toheaven?

Tyler, Toronto

Dear Tyler,

That is a great question. There aremany reasons why deceased people’sspirits remain on Earth instead ofgoing to heaven/nirvana/the other side.

When someone dies, their spirit-formlives on: it is eternal. It is released fromthe body and begins its afterlife. A lighttunnel that leads to heaven appears.The light tunnel is full of love: love islight!

Spirits, through the Law of Free Willhave a choice whether to go up thelight tunnel right away, or to wait, or todecline. Some spirits are not able tofind the light tunnel after theirtransition to the spirit-form. The lighttunnel is documented in manyaccounts by people who have had near-death experiences. They see the lightand walk towards it, have theirexperience and then return to Earth tofinish their lives and to give us aglimpse about what happens after ornear death.

The light tunnel appears for almosteveryone as one last chance to ‘comeinto the light’. When people are notable to see the light tunnel it could befor many reasons, here are but a few:

People have fallen off their light-path,and have descended into a negativeway, for example, addictions to drugsor alcohol, or who are grosslynegligent in other ways and nottreating their bodies with respect.Polluting the body to a state ofintoxication creates dysfunction in thewhole being, which can prevent onefrom attracting the light.

People who are devoid of love oftenare unable attract or see the light; theyhave very little or no love within. Theyhurt others by projecting negative/darkenergy such as anger, meanness,greediness, prejudice, abuse, bullying,thievery, fear-mongering etc. Theyshun the light throughout their livesand continue to do so after deathbecause their vibration is socontradictory to light.

Some spirits will see the light butdecide to take as much time as they canbefore their tunnel closes to learn fromthose who are still on Earth. They may

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Dear Angels ...________________

JILL MICHELLE

stay around to help their loved onesadjust to their new life without them.Sometimes a deceased one who has notgiven or received enough love duringtheir life will remain with a friend orfamily member who can show them byexample how to become a lovingperson. When they are ready, they gointo the light. This process often takesthree weeks or more.

Parents who passed away when theirchildren were young frequently stay onthe Earth-plane to take care of them.Likewise, spirits of spouses or familymembers may hang around their lovedones to help them. Sometimes by thetime they are ready to leave Earth, theirlight tunnel has expired, so theyrequire help to leave.

Some people who die in a suddenaccident or unexpected death will notbelieve that they are dead and willremain walking on the earth-plane.They are not ready to leave Earth andhave trouble adjusting to theirtransition to spirit-form.

Many times when the angels and Ihave done a house clearing, there havebeen some spirits who were trapped bya mean ghost-spirit who preventedthem from ascending. It seems thatmisery loves company. During a houseclearing, the mean spirit is sent to thelight first, and then the others are freedand go up the light tunnel joyfully.

At the end of people’s Earth-lives, ifthey are on their light path, and willingto ascend, they will see the light tunneland go up. If they are not on their path,they may not see the light tunnel andwill need some guidance and help sothey can ascend. The earth contains avast number of unhappy spirits whomfor whatever reason have been unableto rise up their light tunnel. I believe itis our duty to send them to the light.Once they ascend, their family andfriends who have been waiting forthem receive them with such joy and

gratefulness. It is a wonderful gift forall.

Love, Peace, Joy, and Hope,Jill Michelle

Please email your questions to:jillmichelle.ca@gmail.com

* * *

TASTE OF DIVERSITYby Bob Smith

It started in the staff room duringrecess. Since it was a Tuesday, Emeliedidn’t have yard duty, nor did IrenePayne, the school librarian the studentssecretly called Ima Pain since the signon the library door simply said I.Payne. For some reason though, shewasn’t there when Emelie went in,herself a few minutes late afterstopping at the office photocopier.

Actually, Irene wasn’t difficult, despitethe nickname. Emelie had felt closer tothe older woman since last ChristmasBreak when Emelie had accepted herinvitation to join her on a 10-dayMediterranean holiday excursion. Itseemed she had a love of history so acruise around Crete was her idea ofheaven. Without saying anythingdirectly, she showed sensitivity torecently-divorced Emelie, athoughtfulness that was greatlyappreciated.

Emelie was not a history buff but shehad been dreading the break whichincluded an annual event which hadbeen one of the few positives in herfourteen-year marriage. She andDanny had grown increasingly apart.She now realized his large extendedfamily had been a major attraction. Itwas only after they were married thatshe realized he had little to do withthem other than Christmas Day and theCanada Day family picnic. Food was ahuge part of both. At Christmas,everyone gathered at one cousin’shouse, where warmth and intimacyruled. On Canada Day, everyone wentto a different cousin’s cottage. Morethan once she wondered why Dannysimply tolerated things on those days,always remaining on the fringe. Atfirst, she hadn’t recognized that, caughtup in the genuine welcoming whichwas so foreign – but delightful – to anonly child who had been raised by hergrandparents. She seemed to have noother relatives. Later, she discoveredDanny refused to discuss anythingabout his past so his near-estrangementremained a mystery.

By last year she had had enough,marvelled at the physical attractionwhich had once been so powerful, butproved ephemeral. He wasn’t abusiveor anything but one morning in thestaff room when she was remarking onhis ‘boys’ night out’ which was regularsince he shared seasons tickets to theLeafs’ hockey games in the winter andplayed baseball himself in the summer,Irene had asked whether Emelie wouldbe better off with him or without him.That’s the first time Emelie recognizedthe rut, admitted there was little shewould miss if he were not in her life,other than beer in the fridge, dirtytowels on the bathroom floor after heshowered – a habit of his she had nevermanaged to break– or unexpectedwithdrawals from the joint chequingaccount, never excessive and alwaysreasonably explained, but annoyingjust the same.

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He didn’t seem to notice as sheprepared for the split. She timed herleaving for the end of the school yearto give herself a couple of months tobegin a new life, but it didn’t take thatlong. They had been little more thanroommates for so long, ones whoshared a living space but not muchelse, that having her own apartmentinvolved positives – choosing paintcolours she liked, picking out furnitureto suit her taste, filling the place withflowers without having to think abouthis allergies. The only depressing thingwas watching the municipal fireworksdisplay by herself from her balcony onCanada Day. It wasn’t that she missedDanny but the unexpected yearning tobe part of a larger group was powerful.

As the end of the school yearapproached, she increasingly thoughtabout another Canada Day. Sheappreciated what Irene had suggestedso Christmas Day had not involved thesame melancholy as last Canada Day,but another one was approaching. Shehad no interest in forging a newrelationship, and had several friends,but none overly close. They either hadtheir own families as priorities orminor foibles which did not make themunlikeable, but did not encourageincreased closeness either.

As Irene burst through the door of thestaff room holding a brochure in onehand and tickets in the other, sheexclaimed, “They arrived last night.”For weeks, she had been talking aboutlittle other than an upcoming trip toEgypt. “Sure you don’t want to come?”she asked Emelie. “We travel welltogether. Not everyone does.”

Shaking her head, Emilie replied. “Ican’t really afford it. My car is justabout dead and that’s where mysavings are going.” That actually wasan excuse as she knew the bank wouldlend her money for a new car if shewanted to travel. It wasn’t the idea ofspending time with Irene that wasbothersome. The prospect of Egypt in

the summer was unappealing,especially as she didn’t share Irene’slove of history.

The thought of another Canada Daylike last year was definitely disturbingthough.

Irene sat in a chair in the corner besidethe coffee percolator to read thebrochure, which Emelie thought wouldnot contain any new information, atleast about the historical sites whichwould be on the tour. She couldprobably write it she thought.

Then her focus drifted away from thesilent librarian as she became aware ofa dialogue between two othercolleagues. She knew one was part ofa group helping a Syrian refugeefamily. From previous overheadconversations, she knew the govern-ment provided financial support butlittle else and newcomers needed helpfor things like finding housing,learning how buses worked, where toshop, registering kids for school andother things about their newcommunity. Emelie had casuallyfollowed the family’s progress throughsuch exchanges.

The woman said, “We’re planning abig event for Canada Day. The NewCanadian Centre always organizes apot-luck picnic for immigrants tocelebrate living in Canada and thediversity of Canadians. The Centredoes it every year and apparently thefood is amazing. It makes youappreciate the importance ofmulticulturalism when you see thenewcomers realize their own culture isvalued. They have heard horror storiesabout giving things up in order to fit inand they are truly amazed when theyfind out their traditions are not simplytolerated but actually encouraged. Andit seems that food is a universal part ofpeoples’ ways of life. So they go allout. There are dishes from China andThailand, Jamaica and Brazil,Morocco and Iraq and every corner of

the earth you can think of.”

Emelie intruded. “Excuse me forinterrupting but I couldn’t helpoverhear. Could you use anothervolunteer?” she asked.

* * *

VOLUNTEERING INSOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO

Volunteer Opportunitiesin Guelph

Patient Library VolunteerHomewood Health Centre

Volunteers will assist patients inlocating and signing out materials andorganization of the library.

Game On! Program VolunteerBig Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph

Game On is a school-based programfor boys in Grades 7 & 8 that focuseson healthy eating, active living, andgaining self-confidence. Volunteermentors are men between the ages of18-25 who can commit to one or moreschool semesters. Mentors lead thegroup of boys through fun andinteractive activities and discussions.You can apply to volunteer directly onthe website.

Go Girls!/Play On!Program Volunteer

Big Brothers Big Sisters of GuelphGo Girls! is a school-based programfor girls in Grade 7 & 8 that focuses onhealthy eating, active living andgaining self-confidence. Play On! is anadapted program for Grade 5 & 6 girls.The volunteer mentors are womenbetween the ages of 18-25 who cancommit to one or more school

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semesters. Mentors lead the group ofgirls through fun and interactiveactivities and discussions.

Assistant Section LeaderTrail Maintenance

Guelph Hiking Trail ClubResponsible for one of 8 sections ofthe Radial Line Trail.Duties include spring and autumninspection of trail and submission of aone page trail status report.Light maintenance activities to ensuretrail is passable and hiker friendly.Spring meeting with other sectionleaders to assess what support isnecessary for trail improvement.Access to equipment and additionalsupport through coordinator.

Front Desk ReceptionistShelldale Better Beginnings,

Better FuturesAs a Front Desk Receptionist you willgreet people and connect them with theappropriate person. You will alsoanswer telephone calls, completegeneral administrative duties andprovide clerical support to staff.

Linking Survivors with Survivors:Hospital Visitation

Ontario March of Dimes, WestCentral Region - Waterloo Office

Are you a stroke survivor or caregiver?Our hospital peer visitors visit new

stroke survivors within the hospitalenvironment providing help withrecovery by providing hope, hands-on-tangible knowledge to manage theemotional and physical stages of strokeusing hope, optimism and encourage-ment.

For more information about theseand other volunteer opportunities

in Guelph, visithttp://pinnetwork.ca/

Volunteer Opportunitiesin Kitchener-Waterloo

Bereaved Families of Ontario islooking for peer facilitators for theChild & Infant Loss Support Groups.

SkateABLE needs ice skating coachesthat can assist skaters with physicaldisabilities learning to skate for thefirst time.

Support children who are new toCanada as a preschool volunteer at

Our Place Family Resource andEarly Years Centre.

House of Friendship’s SunnydaleCommunity Centre needs a ThursdayRelief Volunteer to assist with fooddistribution, greeting, and other tasks.

Experience the area’s largest Bluesfestival! Outstanding and enthusiasticvolunteers are needed at the TDKitchener Blues Festival August 10-13.

Volunteer Program Developer neededat Waterloo Regional Block Parents.Help children become healthy, fit,active and safe!

For more information about theseand other volunteer opportunities in

Kitchener-Waterloo, visitwww.volunteerkw.ca

* * *

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Dennis Perrier, author of When Pete was a Kid, and Ihad the pleasure of visiting Our Lady of LourdesCatholic High School, where we made a presentationto Aletta Erdos, illustrator of Dennis's book. From leftto right: Timothy Yawney, Principal; Dennis Perrier,Author, When Pete was a Kid; Aletta Erdos, Illustrator;Me!

Wendy Monsinger (left), one of the authors in the firstvolume of Sharing, has been presenting a monetaryaward to a graduating Grade 12 high school femalestudent for the past four years. This year’s recipientwas Robin Grewal (right). of Eastview SecondarySchool in Barrie. Grades and length of time it took donot matter - what matters is that she perseveredthrough life obstacles and made it to her grade 12graduation.

NEXT MONTH ....IN ONE THOUSAND TREES

Our focus for August is Acceptance.

“The ache for home lives in all of us.The safe place where we can go aswe are and not be questioned.”― Maya Angelou, All God's ChildrenNeed Traveling Shoes

Do you have an inspiring story you’dlike to share?

If you know of any community wellnessevents taking place in August, pleasecomplete and send us the Event Listingform found on the magazine page ofour website.

Articles are always welcome for any ofour “regular” departments ...

ConnectionsCreativity and the Arts

Food and NutritionGiving Back

Health and WellbeingThe Library

Deadline for submissions isJuly 20.

As always, we look forward to hearingfrom you with any feedback or articleideas!

lisa@onethousandtrees.com

The Grand River flows300 kilometres throughsouthwestern Ontariofrom the highlands of

Dufferin County to PortMaitland on Lake Erie.

The Grand RiverConservation Authority

manages water andother natural resources

on behalf of 39municipalities andclose to one million

residents.

One Thousand Trees’target market is defined

by the borders of theGrand River Watershed.

Department Editorsare responsible for

promoting practitioners,events and volunteeropportunities in thecities of Brantford,

Cambridge, Guelph,Kitchener, and Waterloo.

Visit the Grand RiverConservation Authorityat www.grandriver.ca.