About
Welcome to my website!
You’ve clicked the “about” link for a reason, allow me to share a few things (via bulleted list!).
- Am fascinated by numbers and patterns… have a hard time remembering names, but am great at phone numbers…though was never a scholar in math, come to think of it, I wasn’t a scholar ever, at all.
- Happily married, no kids, in part due to getting married at what is considered in our rural neighbourhood to be almost ‘granny-aged’ (That would be 36)… note to single women…keep the faith, and the wait is well worth it.
- Was told by certain teachers in various educational institutes I attended that I was a poor writer. I decided to write a book anyway. Mennonite Girl is my first book… hopefully not my last.
- For 17 years I taught elementary school in BC grades one through six; did excessive amounts of reading, art, singing and creative writing, must have skimped a bit on science and math…or was that French? Je ne sais pas.
- Then moved east to be closer to family and live by the ocean – love kayaking when the swells are low, walking the beach, and collecting sea glass.
- My aforementioned passion for sea glass developed into a small business, Saltwater Angels – I make and sell sea glass angels in the four Atlantic provinces… keeps my hands busy in the manner of many upstanding Mennonite women.
- Am happy in rubber boots, Tilley hat and shorts… (or a little muumuu and Birkenstocks)… happier at a yard sale than in a mall… happier yet with my pack packed, International plane ticket and boarding pass in hand.
- I read voraciously, thankfully my husband does, too, and belong to two book clubs
- Say grace before meals and give thanks every night for running water, clean sheets and a down duvet.
- There are so many things I love about Canada…the natural beauty, the diverse culture, the medical system, commentary by either Rex Murphy or Rick Mercer, almost everything about Newfoundland and the CBC radio.
mary ediger 
Hi Mary, I recently read your fabulous book, The Mennonite Girl, and couldn’t put it down! It was very special to me because I work at Welcome Inn (I am the volunteer coordinator) and I’ve lived in the North End of Hamilton for 10 years. I loved to hear your stories of what the neighbourhood used to be like, and as I read aloud to my children we tried to visualize what you were seeing as you looked out your windows (a sugar factory? wow!). I have told your stories to my coworkers at the Inn and a lot of these we had never heard before (Well, come in!) Thank you for sharing your childhood with us. ~ Laurie
Looking for Edigers on-line I was thrilled to find your web-site! I am also gratified to find yet another Ediger who is a writer and artist- as many of us seem to be! I look forward to reading your blog entries in the future! ~Carrie Ediger (one of the Chicago Edigers)
Hello Carrie,
I don’t think I ever responded to you. I apologize for that because gee whiz, as my Kansas cousins like to say. It’s great to meet another Ediger. I didn’t really even know there were Chicago Edigers. Are you related to Dwayne, originally from Arvada, Co? Are you a writer? Where in Chicago are you?
Again, so sorry this took so long. Would love to hear from you again. Best, Mary
Mary, I’m gathering a shelf of books by Mennonite authors and about Mennonite life. I’m interested in stories, whether fiction or non-fiction and found your book listed on Goodreads. I’m wondering if you grew up Mennonite? There are so many authors who write about Amish and Mennonite life through doing research, but I’m interested right now in works by authors from these traditions. Let me know! And thank you!
Hello Cynthia,
I definitely grew up Mennonite. My father’s first name was Menno. I would be honoured to be on a shelf with other Mennonite authors. Please give it a read. And let me know what you think.
Okay, I look forward to reading it! I just published my own novel, Mennonite on the Edge: An Unlikely Romance. This is my second Mennonite narrative, prompted by the knowledge that there is just not that much written BY Mennonites about this culture. And while I’ve left Mennonite life, I still feel protective of the narratives being accurate portrayals! And I want to promote those portrayals that are accurate as an “antidote” to all of the junk that has been passed off as real on reality shows!! So there you have it, my mission : ).
Excellent. I look forward to reading yours.
Thanks!