ERICA NEALE – Author of The Emissary, Interloper. The Emissary's Endgame and The Sand Clock

Meet Erica Neale.

As an adult, Erica graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Honours, English from McMaster University.

She is married and cherishes time with her family.
Later in life, Erica enjoyed travelling to countries she only read about as a child.

She believes people want to be heard. People need to be heard.
It is important to acknowledge other cultures whether at home or abroad. It is one way to enrich our own views of life.

The elderly, particularly, through their life experiences, can offer wisdom and guidance to those who are willing to listen. They would like to be heard.

People need to understand the past in order to live in the present and prepare for the future.

WEDDINGS and FUNERALS

April 13, 2024Over the past couple of months, I attended the funeral of an old friend. I also witnessed the marriage of a much loved family member. Weddings and funerals are a rite of passage not just a celebration of life. Weddings are joyous events. Guests share in the celebration of the marriage of two people embracing their love and hope for a positive future. At first thought, funerals are an entirely different cup of tea but, really when you think about it, not so different after all. Walking into a funeral home, one hears the hushed voices of the mourners. More people arrive. Greetings are shared; voices get louder. It is not long before the occasional chuckle and outright burst of laughter is heard from the shared memories of the deceased. Family members are trapped in a time warp listening to stories while, at the same time, coping with the loss of their loved one. Funerals and weddings can bring out the best or the worst in people. People meet others whom they have not seen in years. Enter the human dynamic. Emotions can run the gamut from joy and laughter to down-right nastiness if old issues bubble to the surface. Both weddings and funerals are rites of passage. Weddings give rise to feelings of hope and joy. Funerals give rise to thoughts of mortality – our own. [...]

2023 GONE

January 24, 2024So, 2023 is now gone. For some folks 2023 proved to be an endurance test and is now, big sigh of relief, gone. Others found 2023 to be an “interesting” year. There were job changes, relocations, marriages or divorces, births and deaths – a typical year! Why not do a personal review of this past year? Let’s be honest. Is there ever such a thing as a perfect year? Every month, week, day, and sometimes hour, can test our strength. Some events are completely out of our control and we are blindsided. When this happens we need to take a big step back, analyze the situation, gather our resources and try to move ahead. There may not be a successful conclusion, or one to our liking, but we need to learn from the experience. Do we want to be stuck in a negative state unable to move on? Life is short. (Do I really need to state the obvious?) The older we get, the shorter is life! Every day brings opportunity. I believe the comment, ‘been there; done that; own the tee shirt’ is appropriate. We must also acknowledge and celebrate our successes no matter how insignificant they may seem at the time. They, too, shape our perspective. During times of stress it is important to draw upon our personal resources. We have (or should have) learned through past life experiences how to relate to ourselves with the hope of a positive outcome. A pep talk, if you will. That’s right I said, relate to ourselves. Many of us are so busy running, doing and being, we seldom have a chance to take a step back and either praise ourselves or ‘what the hell were you thinking?’ moment. Both are helpful. [...]

FRIENDSHIP

November 18, 2023Someone once wrote, “friendship, like the flight of birds, cannot be put into written words”. I am privileged to have both female and male friendships. The word, friendship, can be difficult to describe. There are many kinds of friendships. Some friendships can last a lifetime; others are transient. I believe people come into our lives for a reason. When the purpose (originally unknown to us) has been achieved, some stay; others move on. People enter our lives to either benefit us or, we enter their lives to be of benefit to them. When the purpose has been achieved, some people stay while others continue on their life path. Friendship is a gift. It is a gift we give to others. It is a gift given to us. Let’s look at friendship this way. Friends (not acquaintances. Yes, there is a difference!) We develop many acquaintanceships throughout our lifetimes but people who become friends, are unique. Friends are acquaintances whom we let into our lives. They become the special people who support us, cry with us and laugh with us! They are not afraid to be honest with us. Oh, by the way, friendship is a two way street. What we search for in others, we must offer in return. Friendship does not develop with every person we meet. We do not start out expecting friendship when meeting for the first time. Friendship has different aspects; different reasons for existence. When we offer our hand in support, for whatever reason and to whomever, we offer support and kindness and expect nothing in return. Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to have friends at my side when I was a child, a teen, a young woman and now, in OLDER age, friends with whom to share laughter and the past. Through the years we commiserated with each other whether over a meal, tea or (when needed) something a tad stronger. We have travelled together and visited in each other’s home. We watched our children grow up and our parents die. We watched each other grow older. Some of us had to rebuild our lives through loss but always there was the knowledge there was someone offering support, friendship or whatever was needed. Let’s raise a cup, mug, glass or stein to friendship. Oh, I almost forgot! Friendship can also be a growing and learning experience. Boy, have I learned at lot! Take care of each other. Time is rushing by. [...]

Books by Erica Neale