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Family

Last night I attended an event with Steampunk Ottawa. We went for a visit to the Canadian War Museum. I learned some things and one in particular has me wondering about my family. My dad is from Québec, but further back in his line we are Scottish. I've not gone back far enough to discover how our Scottish ancestors ended up in Québec. Last night I learned about the Royal Highland Emigrants and now I'm wondering if one of the men from Scotland, who protected Québec in the 1700s, ended up deciding to stick around and start his family. I'm sure stranger things have happened.

I've also been wondering about family on my mom's side for a very different reason. My mom was born in 1943 on the aboriginal reserve around Pickerel, Ontario (so a cousin has told me). My mom still doesn't know who her father was. She was raised by her grandparents because her mom had become pregnant out-of-wedlock and that was shameful in those days. When my mom got her birth certificate, it only listed her mother's name. I feel like I have relatives I don't know and that's kind of sad. With my mom being in her 70s, it's unlikely we'll discover that part of our family, or that DNA testing will be needed. I also feel like there is this whole culture that is likely part of who I am that I know nothing about.

Discovering more about my family is on my list of things to do in the near future. I have a feeling the journey will inspire some writing though and I at least need to finish "The Page & The Magician" before I go starting more novels ;)

Happy Friday!

Ciao,
R~
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