First of all let me thank everyone who...err...nudged me to post a story....here's number 1.

As I stated earlier I spent every summer living in my grandfather's funeral home just north of Toronto. It became very normal for us to have to be quiet on most afternoons because there was a service going on in the same house. Normal to have to go get my grandfather and walk by the slumber rooms, and normal when we got older to play hide and seek in the showroom...in the caskets.

When I was 4, I was told that curiosity got the best of me and I couldn't resist seeing what went on "downstairs"...I supposedly looked into the embalming room by wiping an outside window clean and looking in....guess I saw my grandfather standing over a body and proudly announced to my grandmother that I knew what my grandfather did...."HE BUILDS MONSTERS" I proudly said!

While there were many experiences over the years I'll start with the very first...where all good things begin......

It was a sunny day in 1966 and I was 4 years old. My aunt and I were standing on the corner by the funeral home waiting to cross the road.....

A procession from the funeral home had just left to begin the short drive to the cemetery and I watched all the cars passing in front of me...waiting to cross to the store where surely a new dinky toy awaited me...

As the hearse slowly passed me the side curtains opened and a woman smiled at me... to this day I can picture her...she had short dark hair and the reddest reddest lipstick I had ever seen. She seemed very happy which I found a bit confusing. And she stared at me for as long as she could until the hearse was out of sight....

That night after dinner....and my new toy securely parked in my pocket...I casually said to my grandfather that I though it was nice that he allowed the family to ride in the back of the hearse....I had assumed there were seats......

He replied that no..no they don't ride back there and why did I think that?

I remember that when I told him my story and what she looked like all the adults glanced at each other and supper broke up very early that night.

Years later I was told that in fact the woman who looked at me....had been the woman whose funeral procession I had observed on that sunny afternoon so long ago. A drowning victim.......

There are more to come......all true.....