A message from a Cumberland Community Forest Fairy…
I arrived in Canada alone at nineteen years old, a refugee from the Second World War, carrying fifteen dollars and a great deal of uncertainty. I did not know the language, the customs, or a single soul. What I encountered was extraordinary kindness.
Canadians helped me find a place to live, helped me learn the language, and encouraged me to continue my education. They helped me find work and believe that I had something to offer. Along the way, this country also taught me a deep and lasting love for nature – the forests, the trails, the quiet spaces that heals the past, restores the human spirit and remind us we belong to something larger than ourselves.
With that support, I earned a degree and worked in health care, grateful for the chance to serve others in the country that had first served me. This opportunity allowed me and my husband to raise a family, and to pass on to my children and grandchildren the values I learned here: kindness, gratitude, responsibility, and care for both people and the land.
Now, in my nineties, I offer this gift as an expression of thanks – to all Canadians who opened their doors to an immigrant with little more than hope and ambition. May this gift help others take root, as I once did, and may the generosity shown to me continue to spread, generation by generation.