It took some time, but a Rothesay woman’s calling found her

A3

Editor's note
Candice Mac Lean

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Valerie Teed is living proof that you can’t deny your path in life.
The soon-to-be published editor always knew that her parents researched genealogy, but studying family history never interested her.
“I didn’t think it was very interesting at all,” she said, sitting in her Rothesay living room, surrounded by antiques and boxes of old letters.
The genealogy bug, as she called it, did bite her eventually. She began to collect bits of her husband’s family history (since her parents had completed her own) and as pieces of the puzzle came together, Teed found herself satisfied with her work.
“You get addicted,” she said of the research.
Teed said whenever a distant family member would uncover another box of letters, or artifact, or postcard, or antique, she would get a call. When she found two narrow boxes packed with letters from 1914 to 1919 – the letters that would become the subject of her new book – Teed knew she couldn’t leave the pieces of history behind.
“The thing is when these bits reach you, you can’t just leave it,” she said. “I did not want them to die with me.”
The urge to preserve the letters, along with other historical items she has come across, was something Teed couldn’t shake.
When asked why it was important to make sure the letters had a place in history, Teed hesitated.
“It’s leaving your mark,” she said, adding “I don’t know why that’s important.”
Later on in the conversation, Teed elaborated on the thought.
“It’s a sense of gratification for me,” she said. “It’s very gratifying to know that I have created something for perpetuity; something that is going to prevent this information, this history, from dying.”
Teed may have been uninterested in the beginning, but when her calling found her, she embraced it. To learn more about her story, see our feature article on page 14.
To tell us about your calling, email maclean.candice@kvstyle.com.

Candice Mac Lean is the editor of KV Style. Reach her at maclean.candice@kvstyle.com.