Short Stories from a Long Life

The time has come to present my first book. Short Stories from a Long Life

I have grown to love 'act of releasing'. To let something go into the world and find its own path. For, to hold onto it would never let it grow its own wings to fly.

A co-creation with my late father, Dr. Wynnfield Young Watson. More commonly known, in his later years as, 'Doc'. A collection of his short stories and artwork lovingly curated by myself. A labour of love for over three years. I've learned that when you are grieving you have to take your time.

There is so much I could say here. Most of it you will find on the page linked page here and in the pages of the book. There are also links there to purchase. Still time to get it before Christmas. A great gift for young and old alike. As well as in between.

In the act of letting the book go, I get to share in another part of our journey together. Releasing it into the unknown and seeing where his stories and my memories take us.

For you, I will leave an excerpt from the introduction, Starting with the End

"...You can do the planning and such that is needed in times like this, but not a lot else. I say “not a lot,” but it is a lot. A heck of a lot. I held space. We all held space. Were we waiting? In a sense, I guess so. I like to think we were living every drop of life we were being given. If it was done in silence sitting in his big green La-Z-Boy while he slept, if it was done washing his face (which always, always settled him), if it was done feeding him or looking at his sketches and paintings with him or just holding his hand, it was done with love…every last drop!

My last day with him held a special moment with his 2 favourite nurses: him sleeping and the 3 of us laughing, crying, and talking. We knew it wouldn’t be much longer. We held each others’ hearts in that moment, and it felt like we laid a blanket of love over our dear old Doc to let him know he was truly loved.

He left us in the wee hours of the next morning. What do you do when you have been graced with the time before a passing to organize, plan, settle and grieve? When your touchstone moves from this world to the next? You float, you simply float. And that is what we did for a while. In fact, I think deep down that is what I am still doing. I am learning to embrace the floating, the drifting, the breathing..."

I do wish to finish with a thank you to those who assisted in this project. To all of the pre-readers, to family that read and supported the technical aspects of putting a book together, to a very patient editor, and to everyone that chooses to read this book. I know my father will be over the moon to know that someone is reading his stories.

If I may paraphrase on of my pre-readers. 'His stories are now my stories, and my stories are now your stories.'

From my heart to yours!