The holiday has existed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Queen Victoria’s Birthday, May 24.

The holiday is colloquially known in parts of Canada as “May Two-Four”, a double entendre that refers both to the date around which the holiday falls (May 24) and the Canadian slang for a case of twenty-four beers (a “two-four”), a drink popular during the long weekend.{

Hanley, Saskatchewan, had a celebration on Victoria Day as far back as 1905? The reason I know that is because when my mom‘s family came to Saskatchewan there was a celebration in Hanley at that time. There were flags and banners and a merry-go-round. Baseball and foot races.

I only remember it as being a “Sport’s Day” and my Brother Jim would go and pitch for the Strongfield baseball team. I don’t believe I ever went to Hanley, but I can remember it was either really cold or really hot. Jim would come home with such a sunburn when it was the hot sunny day.

I think my dad really wanted to have a son that was a good baseball player because he had played baseball back in Minnesota. I think by the time Jim was old enough to play all my dad probably wasn’t that keen about baseball by that time. How do I know?

I know that Jim tried very hard to be really good pitcher and he probably could’ve become one if he had had any coaching outside our family. All I know is I wasn’t very good at catching the fastball that came out of his hand!

I have no pictures from Hanley celebrations but I have one from Notre Dame at Wilcox.

I hope that summer is on its way!

I’d like to talk to you today about the importance of you writing your life story. I think it is important to delve into this subject again. Every time I’m having a card game with a few people or just coffee. I ask them if they have written their life story or if they have any plans to do it! I explained to them that it’s not that difficult even if you just write it on line paper. If you have access to word document on your computer or tablet you can write it there. Printed out or if it is just online paper, you can go to Staples and have it coil bound. Bingo. You have a record of your life for your children or grandchildren to read.

One day when I was waiting at the lab to have blood work done, I was in conversation with a gentleman in the next seat. He said that his mother was still living on her own and very healthy at 86 years of age and I thought this is a really good time for him to sit down with her and explain how important it is to him if she would write her life story. He told me that his mom was 13 years old and his dad was 14 years old when they came to Canada from Germany. They had survived WW2 in Germany and met and married after coming to Canada. There must be interesting stories of each parent.

It reminds me of the story of Edith Kesmarky. She was Doc’s boss at SGI for many years. She and husband and children escaped from a train that was taking them to a concentration camp. The oldest daughter needed to go to the washroom and all four of them went from the washroom off the train on the other side. It was dark and they trudged through the muddy fields for four hours not knowing where they were going. It turned out when it was daylight that they were safe in West Germany. Edith’s husband was an Engineer and was offered a job with Sask Power when they finally arrived in Canada. I remember her saying they had only $1.87 to their name when they got to Regina.
One friend of my youngest daughter told me how happy she is that I write about my life in my blog. She was at her grandmother’s funeral and after listing to family members recall all the things Gramma had done and she had idea what great things her Grama had done. If she had talked about her life and written these things done she could have known so much more.

Most of you have access to some kind of word processing and a printer. If not, you’re certainly can buy inexpensive lined paper to write on.

Once you have written your life story, you can take it as I said above to Staples to make copies for family members

Start writing today!