The kindness of neighbours and faith in God kept this scrappy farm kid going against the odds!
Sometimes, poignant, often humourous, A Long Way from Beatty: A Memoir of Don Smailes chronicles the mishaps and successes of Don Smailes as he ventures beyond the farm, seeking his destiny.
Read along as he meets the love of his life and seeks to win her heart in unconventional ways. Be inspired as he discovers that faith is much bigger than a church building.
From the Prairies to the Yukon to Tennessee and back, Don hitchhikes across the country seeking his life’s purpose.
Eventually settling in Edmonton with his sweetheart, he stumbles into a new career: respiratory therapy. As one of the first students in this field, he details the early days of the profession. Eventually starting a successful respiratory home care business, Don sees the hand of God directing his steps and teaching him.
Don’s work ethic and willingness to help others guided him to a rewarding career he had never imagined for himself. What started as a life filled with adversity turned into a life lived to its fullest.
A Long Way from Beatty shows how one individual, guided by faith and family, has the power to touch the lives
Excerpt from A Long Way from Beatty by Kelly Smailes:
“My memories of Shaunavon are good memories; we were a happy family. Of course, we were sad not to have Dad present, but Mom was the centre of our home, and she was amazing.
She cared for us and was such a good mom that we rarely felt the absence of anything vital even during such a time of upheaval in the world. We were always fed, clothed, and loved. In retrospect, Mom’s desire to be a teacher probably made her especially engaged in reading to us and teaching us as we grew up. I remember her reading Bible stories to us at night and saying bedtime prayers.
Our home was very adequate for the time. It had seven rooms; four upstairs bedrooms meant the boys shared one room, the girls had another, one was a sewing room for Mom, and the fourth was a guest room. Mom’s bedroom was on the main floor to the left of the back door. Through her room was the indoor bathroom, and to the right was the living area and kitchen.
We lived only two blocks from the school and close to downtown. Shaunavon was not that big, but we got to see and experience a lot. My earliest memories there were pre-school and the wonderful freedom that afforded me to just be a child. Before Grade 1, I was a dreamy kid with no concept of responsibility or of how hard life could be. As the youngest,
I may have been spoiled just a little. My sister Pat remembers me laying on the floor, kicking and screaming while trying to get my own way. I obviously have a strong will, and according to my sister, Mom had a hard time handling me on occasion.”
