My sweet little Jazzy Moon had a homework thing from school that she needed help with and of course I was more than willing to give assist. At the top of the page were the lines: Canada is a multicultural country. Many different cultures have contributed to Canada to make it what it is today. What are some of the contributions from your family’s culture?
Next, the lines: Culture/Country of Ancestral origin. So I wrote in: Ojibwe/Ojibway, La Cloche Mountain Range, Nomadic, Spanish River system and the North Channel of Lake Huron.
Then the lines: Interesting family history details we know: And I wrote in: Ojibwe/Ojibway family was decimated by government policy towards “Indians and land reserved for Indians”. As a result , the history, culture and family make up of Grandpa’s family, including extended family, was completely destroyed.
I tucked that into the homework bag and sent her on her way, back to Grade 6. Then I got to thinking, jeez… Maybe I should have written up something a little more rosy, something about canoes, scone dogs, rattles or pow wow dance moves but the truth is I have no idea what happened to them. All I know is my name was changed, I was raised away and never even made it to their funerals and until recently had no idea where they were buried.
And so!!! I started up a few little paintings and while waiting for paint to dry cracked open Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and read: Letting go all else, cling to the following truths. Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant-all the rest of his life is either past and gone, or not yet revealed. This mortal life is a little thing, lived in a little corner of the earth; and little, too, is the longest fame to come-dependent as it is on a succession of fast perishing little men who have no knowledge even of their own selves, much less of one long dead and gone.
Well there once was a man named Jack Seabrook and he saved me. A fella like me tries to live up to a man like that but it isn’t easy by any stretch as he was a great man.

Interesting family history details we know…