Cousin Claire fell in love with Cape Breton, Canada, some years ago. As she does all things, she dug deep — into its history, geography, and people. (I wrote about her efforts to help protect the crumbling Gabarus seawall, here.)
Now Claire has published an oral history of one of Cape Breton’s best known residents, Mildred Gray.
From Amazon: “Mildred Gray is acknowledged as the last surviving government-employed Morse Code operator and one of the last surviving manual switchboard operators in the Canadian Maritime provinces.
“Between the 1940s through the 1970s, Mrs. Gray was a one-woman 911, information and referral service, spiritual advisor, and companion to people giving birth and people dying. This comprehensive oral history includes maps, historic photographs, a 50-page section of Highlights of Gabarus History, and an extensive bibliography.”
Claire says in her introduction, “Gabarus is a place both beautiful and real. The windswept rocky shore contrasts with the warmth of community.
“As Mrs. Gray points out, the old values still live here. Wherever you live in the world, you can learn about how to live a good life by following the story of Mrs. Gray and her community of Gabarus in guiding us all to be useful, compassionate and honorable. You will see
that Mrs. Gray and her family and neighbors, whether they are
Methodist or not, live by John Wesley’s directive to ‘Do all the
good you can. By all the means you can. … As long as ever you
can!’ ”
Find the book here.
Photo: http://www.risingtideexpeditions.ca/
Cape Breton
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
Wow! So thoughtful, poignant. I wish our grandmother was here to enjoy this with us.
Thanks. Absolutely lovely.
Best love to you,
claire
Yes. I know that I, as a grandmother myself now, love it when grandchildren from different families enjoy something together. How much greater to see that decades later. … Good job bringing this book to fruition. I hope it does very well.