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.

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. [...]

UPDATE

October 18, 2023It’s been a while since I posted. Here goes. As I watch world, federal, provincial and local politics, all I can think is OMG! (You realize I am being exceptionally polite). Will this ever change – whatever ‘this’ is? As my dear Pop used to tell me “The ordinary person can’t change anything. People with the money, have the power. They don’t live by the same rules as the rest of us.” So Pop, like most everyone else we knew of the time, worked six days a week in factories, or on farms or construction. There was no cottage life. No travelling. We visited with friends and family and chatted with neighbours. Poor Pop. I wonder what he would say about politics now. He was right, though. We have very little control over our lives no matter the political stripe. We do have the opportunity to change political party through our votes. The colour of the horse doesn’t matter; the horses are pretty much the same colour. Bear with me, please. Political parties have their own agendas. Most of the time we citizens do not learn, if ever, the full scope of those agendas because the agenda changes according to the machinations of unknown people manipulating those whom we elect to represent us. So, we do have the power of vote. If we are not thrilled with the status quo, we can wait another four years before participating in the same exercise again all the while hoping for what….? There is the odd individual who does believe in people power, but that person soon learns idealism leads no where. Nah, I am not depressed. I am a realist. I have been voting longer than some of you reading this blog have been alive. I would enjoy reading an in-depth political report written by a no-holds-barred investigative journalist interviewing a newly minted politician and then, three years later to see if the knowledge of reality shines brightly in her/his eyes! But we humans live with hope. Don’t we? My next blog will be about friendship. There are several kinds of friendship that enrich our lives. I am fortunate, so fortunate, to have friends that have been along with me for the ride. More later. [...]

CHRISTMAS 2022

December 22, 2022Well, here we are again. Another year is nearly over heralded by the coming of Christmas in a few days. Let’s take a step back and look at what is supposed to be a joyous time of the year. First, let me look at “shopping” which often turns out to be more of a chore than enjoyment. Watching folks rush around overcrowded shopping malls after driving around a half hour in a parking lot trying to find a spot. Take a good look at the shoppers! How many are smiling and appear happy? What about the little kids who are tugging on arms howling, “I want to go home!” Do you ever wonder what it is all for? Do you think this is the true enjoyment of sharing and giving or just another name on a Must Buy For list? That makes the joy of Christmas questionable and more of an obligation. No, I am not a grinch. Some families travel for miles to reconnect at this time of the year. Others plan a quiet Christmas with close family or friends. Some folks are alone for a variety of reasons. They may be the elderly living in apartment complexes, in retirement or nursing homes. Some are families new to our area who feel sad leaving their homeland and are now living in a strange country with strange customs. I guess where I am going with all of this is to look round and see how you can put out your hand in friendship. The community in which I live erected a Christmas tree in the lobby of our local community centre and local Tim Horton’s coffee shop. The tree was covered with what appears to be gift tags. Bless whoever thought of this. Members visited our retirement and nursing homes chatting with residents asking what little gift they would like to receive from Santa. The requests were transferred onto tags which were then put on the tree. The requests were so humble, I could have cried: a nature puzzle, a box of chocolates, body wash, hand cream, thermal socks, a pair of gloves…… you get the idea. I understand the tree has been filled several times. Our local supermarket throughout the year puts together bags of canned and boxed goods to be purchased by shoppers for ten dollars. These bags are passed on to our local food bank. By the way, there are also bags of cat and dog food! This is community spirit at work. So, while we each celebrate Christmas in our own unique way, let us not forget there are people outside of our circle who need acknowledgment, kindness and understanding. We can contribute financially to organizations who fill the needs of our unnamed citizens. Let us do what we can, smile and give with thankfulness and try to understand, what I think is, the true spirit of Christmas. As Tiny Tim requested in the Christmas Carol, Scrooge, “Bless us, every one!” [...]

Books by Erica Neale