SO MANY HOMES

So many homes. Victoria is my home because I live there now. Winnipeg is my home because I was born and grew up there. Calgary is my home because I spent twenty-two years, almost a quarter of a century, working during my adult life here and participating in the Calgary community. Of all my three homes, I probably know the greatest number of people here in Calgary. It was in Calgary that I became a doctor, worked hard as a physician, played hard as a party animal, fell in love, had my heart broken, went to meetings, stuffed envelopes, organized conferences, helped build theatres, sat on arts boards, was honoured with a woman of the year award, another Speak Sebastian award for gay and lesbian political work, hiked in the mountains regularly, knocked on doors with politicians, argued with elected officials, opened a hologram gallery (Western Canada's first) opened Canada's first PMS clinic, was involved with sports, was physician to a Canadian championship softball team, had Stampede parties, well, had a lot of parties in general, built "The Fence" in protest of urban sprawl, had loads of dinner parties - in other words, I had a very full life here. So it was with much excitement and anticipation that I have now returned after far too long of being away to do a reading.

Where to stay? Well, the obvious choice was to stay with my friends Joan and Renate. Joan was one of the first people I ever met in Calgary. I had gone to a softball game with a friend, Joan was the coach, she looked up at me in disbelief from the field as I sat in the stands reading a book totally ignoring the action on the infield and a very long friendship was born. She is one of my oldest and dearest friends. For years we lived in the same house, shared the same friends, went through periods of joy and grief and more joy together, and we know and love each other well. Renate has been in Joan's life for seventeen years now and although I haven't known her quite as long as Joanie, seventeen years is certainly long enough to love her.

Another one of my oldest friends in Calgary is Carolyn who joined me for dinner the other night. Now I might have lied when I wrote the other day that Winnipeg was the only city with food memories. I hadn't really remembered Kam Han, where Carolyn and I, often joined with other friends, ate almost weekly for years. We recreated our usual menu from the past of hot and sour soup, salt and pepper seafood, ginger fried beef, and szechuan eggplant as we talked, reconnected and generally enjoyed each other. The food was as good as I remembered. And Carolyn was even better, which is going some.

And then there is Marlene. Calgary will always mean Marlene to me. I first met her when I was a medical student and she was a nurse working for the doctor who was to become my preceptor. We became fast friends and she worked with me as a nurse throughout my entire residency. As soon as I opened a practice, Marlene joined me and worked together with me for as long as I remained in Calgary. I could not imagine a better nurse and friend than Marlene. All those patients who thought I was a good doctor never realized that it was Marlene who made me look good, whispering relevant information in my ear just before I was to see a patient. She was great at holding patients' hands literally and figuratively, always doing exactly the most appropriate thing that was needed for them and for me. She could not have been any better in her job, and I benefited by that. I love Marlene more than I can say. Our long dinner reminiscing over many pots of tea was wonderful. We laughed, we grinned at each other, we remembered. The thing I adore about Marlene is that she loves life as much as I do. We are both basically happy people who love most other people. Marlene is still working, and I must say, I am a bit envious of those for whom she works, she is that good.

Virtually every meal, every coffee break time for the whole time that I am in Calgary, I am being joined by a different person who was important in my life. I feel as though I am the most blessed person in the world, to have so many stellar friends, who still love talking and laughing and loving and living.

Part of this trip is to do readings of course, not just visit and reminisce about the past. Tomorrow Joan and I head out to Edmonton, where I will be reading at Chapter's Bookstore. We will stay overnight, then drive back for the Calgary reading. At the risk of being monotonous, life is very good.