I don't believe in accidents or coincidences. Things always happen for a reason. We may not see it right away, but it's there. Many things happen to connect us, maybe because this world needs more "connection", more meeting of the minds, more tolerance and more love. Or maybe I'm just a dreamer. That's okay. I'll keep my dreams.

On May 30th, I came across a very heart wrenching site--for a reason. I know that now. Alexis had signed my guestbook at http://www.cherylktardif.com/ and I decided to check out her blog. On the right side, I saw a link to A Voice for Tori & Dean. I'm not sure what made me click on it.

There are some things that happen that just make us cringe and ask: How can this possibly happen?

Tori Vienneau (22) and her 10 month baby boy Dean were brutally murdered on July 26, 2006. Tori was found beaten and strangled in one room and her baby Dean was found hanging by a noose in his crib.

I can't shake this imagery from my mind. It is tragic beyond words, beyond belief.

Strangled? Both of them? And one a baby?

What would make someone do something like this? How could any human being hang an innocent baby?

To me, there is only one answer: someone INhuman, someone evil, a monster who has no right to life himself.

There is no defense or excuse for murders such as these.

Thankfully, there was an arrest. Two, actually. Dennis Potts, 23, was charged with two counts of murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice, and Max Corn, 23, was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice. Reading some of the news reports, I was not surprised to learn that Potts was actually the baby's father. It felt like a case of focused voilent rage, which meant that the victims knew the perpetrator.

Recently, an author friend of mine, Karen Harrington, wrote about mothers who kill their children and the possibility that it could be a hereditary trait. Does this suggest that men could inherit this same deadly trait? We all know men who are prone to voilence, but what kind of man takes a friend with him and performs such a heinous crime? No man at all.

I felt compelled to sign the guestbook, but I admit, I felt somewhat like an intruder. This is such a very deep and personal loss for them. But I haven't been able to forget about Tori and Dean. Surprisingly, I received an email from Deserie, a friend of Tori's. She thanked me for leaving a message in the guestbook, and this reminded me of how I felt to see strangers leave notes in my brother's guestbook after his murder. Strangers and people who knew him but that I didn't know.

I think the real message in all this is that victims of violence need to be remembered, their memories kept alive by everyone and anyone. Survivors of violence need the comfort of knowing that their loved one(s) have reached out beyond the grave and touched even a stranger's heart, as Tori and Dean have touched mine. I know what it's like to lose a baby. I know that Tori's mom and Dean's grandma need to feel still connected, and they are. By love.

My message for Mom/Grandma and all family and friends of Tori and Dean is this:

There is always light at the end of even the darkest tunnel. And with light comes hope. You have been kissed by angels.

So I invite you to visit this humble site with it's tragic story, beautiful pictures and a guestbook filled with love.

http://www.avoicefortorianddean.org/index.htm

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

As mentioned in my last post about Hope Mission in Edmonton, I was asked to pre-record a personal message for the Mission of Hope Radio-thon in October 2008. As this date draws closer, I'll give you more information.

For now, here's a recap of what Hope Mission is all about:

Hope Mission, a Christian social care agency, began in 1929 as a soup kitchen serving meals to hundreds of people struggling with unemployment and homelessness at the onset of the Depression.

Hope Mission currently operates a men’s emergency shelter (Herb Jamieson Centre), a residence for at-risk women with or without children (Women’s Centre), a youth outreach centre (R.W. Tegler Youth Sports Centre), an activity and hot meal program to low income area elementary schools (Kids In Action), a Youth Shelter, a Women's emergency shelter, a Ministry Van, an Intox/Detox Centre, Transitional Housing, an Emergency Mat program and a summer camp for underprivileged youth and children (Brightwood Ranch).

Today, I drove down to Hope Mission. It's located in downtown east Edmonton. From my understanding, they rely solely on donations from the public. I had the honor of teaching a men's writing workshop last year, to men in the addictions program. These men were inspiring, respectful and eager to learn, and there was some awesome talent there. They should each be proud of all their accomplishments. One day at a time.

My interview went well and I hope I was able to convey how important Hope Mission is to the people of Edmonton. I hope it inspires more people to donate, and I hope it will change people's perceptions of homeless or down-on-their-luck people. I talked about my brother Jason, who was murdered in Edmonton in 2006. I spoke about how Hope Mission tried to help him, how they reached out to me and my family and remembered Jason in a special memorial service in 2007.

On the way home from Hope Mission, I heard a song on the radio that hit me hard. The lyrics spoke to me. I felt like this is a message my brother wants to share with his street family...

Never Too Late by Hedley

Hoping I can run today and get away faster
Than ever from here
Another night and who can say if leaving is better
Than living in fear

Here's to all the broken hearts tonight
Here's to all the "fall-a-parts" tonight
Here's to every girl and boy who lost their joy
They let it get away

You know it's never too late
Get up and start all over again
You know it's never too late
There's got to be a better way
Don't settle for the cold and rain
It's not too late to start again
Find a way to smile and never let it get away

It's been too long and we've been down and out without laughter
No smiling just tears
We're tired of falling down and being such a disaster
We've been here for years

Here's to all the broken hearts tonight
Here's to all the "fall-a-parts" tonight
Here's to every girl and boy who lost their joy
They let it get away

You know it's never too late
Get up and start all over again
You know it's never too late
There's got to be a better way
Don't settle for the cold and rain
It's not too late to start again
Find a way to smile and never let it get away

I'm gone, I'm gone, there's got to be a better way, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone, there's got to be a better way, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone, there's got to be a better way, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone, there's got to be a better way, I'm gone

You know it's never too late
(I'm gone, I'm gone)
You know it's never too late
(I'm gone, I'm gone)
There's got to be a better way
(I'm gone, I'm gone)

It was tough to hear these words and drive home. Below is the actual song.

Please consider donating to Hope Mission.

Also, if you buy a copy of Whale Song, a portion of my royalties will go to Hope Mission.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Yesterday, I received an email from Stephen Berg, the Development Director at Hope Mission here in Edmonton, asking if I would agree to pre-record a radio interview for the Mission of Hope Radio-thon in October and talk about Hope Mission. I was extremely honored that Steve thought of me; he has always been very supportive of me as a survivor of a violent crime and also as an author. I knew immediately what I wanted my message to be. I wanted to share how I am connected to Hope Mission by tragedy, what it offers and how important it is to Edmonton inner city survival.

First, let me remind you of what happened to me and my family in January 2006...

My youngest brother Jason was raised in a good and decent family, went out on his own in his early 20's and tried to start his adult life. But he struggled financially and emotionally. He went from job to job, as is common with many young people, and he moved to Edmonton on my invitation, with hope to start a new life for himself. But somewhere along life's path, he lost his way.

Jason turned to alcohol and it became his companion. He lived for some time on the streets, then in a men's shelter. He called occasionally and told us about Hope Mission, that they were helping him. He also suffered from mental illness and bouts of depression. He was on medication--when he remembered to get it. Slowly, he closed himself off from family, and I even filed a missing persons report at one time because we hadn't heard from him in months.

We finally did hear from him, indirectly. I was contacted by a local hospital. Jason had been admitted because he'd been badly beaten. But by the time they contacted me, he had already been discharged. At least we knew he was still alive. We heard from him a few times after that.

Jason had just celebrated his 28th birthday on January 15th, 2006. Then on January 23, 2006, two police officers showed up on my doorstep and my world and that of my family's was turned upside down. What we had feared most had happened. My brother, a funny copper-haired computer whiz, was found dead in the alley close to the Mustard Seed church in downtown east Edmonton. His murderer is still at large and police are still looking for leads in this case.

After his death, we were contacted by people who knew Jason. We even met some of his friends--his city family. The police officers were kind to us and very respectful of Jason's memory. They admitted that they knew of him, but that Jason had never caused any serious trouble and had been the recipient of violence (as in the time above when he was admitted to the hospital). It is during this time that I was connected again to Hope Mission. Many people there knew about Jason and knew him.

In January 2007, Hope Mission held a special memorial to honor all the people who had died in the last year--people who had lived like Jason, disenfranchised, suffering from addictions and feeling hopeless. Most of these people struggled through life and died very violently. My husband, daughter and I attended this memorial, and I was asked to talk about Jason and remember him. That is the only time I ever recall speaking to a group of people while my entire body shook and while struggling to hold back tears. It was a beautiful memorial, and I was so grateful to meet others who knew my brother. Everyone had such wonderful things to say about him. He was loved.

Shortly afterward, my husband and I decided to support Hope Mission financially. We've always given money to charities before but this time we had a personal connection. We signed up for one of their donation programs--Friend of the Friendless. We gladly give money every month and I can't tell you how rewarding it feels to know that our money is going to something so vital, so hopeful, and to an organization that can use it to help save a life.

When my novel Whale Song was published by Kunati in April 2007, I dedicated it to Jason. I also decided to give a percentage of my WHale Song royalties to the three nonprofit organizations who helped my brother--the Bissell Centre, Mustard Seed church and Hope Mission. These types of nonprofits are found in every major city, and it's unfortunate but we need them. And they need us. Without financial support, programs are shut down, shelters are closed or never expanded and people are left with nothing--no food, no shelter, no support, no hope.

Next time you see a homeless person, someone begging in the street, a person you would consider a "bum", please remember this: this person before you is someone's son or daughter, maybe someone's brother or sister, or a mother, father, uncle, aunt, grandmother, grandfather. These are PEOPLE. With feelings, emotions, hopes and dreams that have been squashed by addictions they can't help, jobs they're just unable to get or keep, and a life they never chose.

Do you really think anyone would CHOOSE to live like this if they really felt deep inside that there was another way? Don't you realize that they often think they're unworthy, that they don't deserve better? Don't you understand that it's this lifestyle that leads some of them to crime; they weren't born criminals--at least not the majority. I think the poverty lifestyle is also an addiction. It's a life they know.

I implore you to look at the people behind the grizzled, dirty, tired, drunken, drugged up, battered, homeless faces. SEE them as human beings. And I urge you to check out your local homeless shelters, support them in their work and in bringing hope to those less fortunate.

Don't you think everyone deserves hope? I do.

"Become a friend of the hungry, the hurting, the homeless; become a friend of the too often forgotten." --Hope Mission

Please visit Hope Mission's website and support the work they are doing. Right now they need donations to help send children to a special camp. I am about to donate to this myself. And remember...your donations could save a life.

http://www.hopemission.com

More on the Radio-thon and my interview in my next post.

Buy Whale Song in support of Hope Mission, the Bissell Centre and the Mustard Seed church and help the homeless.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

In a recent article on Foreword Magazine, publisher and author Derek Armstrong wrote about book titles and whether it mattered how long they were or how short. It made me contemplate how I named my novels, how sometimes I chose the titles before or during the writing or how the titles sometimes chose me.

The following are my comments about his article titled Would You Pay Attention, Please? Or, How to Keep Up with Trends in Book Titles, Arguably the Most Important Element of Your Marketing! (which personally I think is just a bit too long...hehe)

Attention: Kindle Users!

Now you can read Divine Intervention and The River on your Kindle.

Divine Intervention ($7.99)

The River ($7.99)