Ellen's Story

Ellen is really one of my favourite people to attend to.
She has joy and positivity and loves to communicate with life and the world.
Last week she told me this story:

She was born to a simple couple.

Her farming parents were illiterate and could make only the most rudimentary of marks. As Ellen grew older she tried to teach her Mother how to read but it never *took* as Mom had little time and much to do. Her mother was ever angry at her own parents for not schooling her. She had been forced to attend Church every Sunday but School was a no-no. It was all work in those days regardless of gender. Her mother had no use for religion ever after and Ellen grew up loving hymns and nature but never felt any calling to Church or Church-Folk.

Ellen met and married her husband in the dirty 30s. Around the six month mark of their marriage an official letter arrived for her husband, and the two of them had to find Ellen's birth certificate. She had none so she had to go to the District where her birth was reported and have a legal copy made. A lot of fuss but it seemed that when she was born her mother had put her mark beside the name the Official heard: "Allan".

Good Old Ottawa was making sure Gay Marriage waited until the next century.
Ellen remembered how annoyed her husband was and how shocked her mother was.

" Imagine my dear, having to swear on the Bible as to your sex."
"Could be worse, Ellen. At least they didn't ask for visual confirmation."

She gave me some physical conformation for that one.

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