Tag Archives: imagination

Mary Irene Hjorth Doubt

Mary died on December 28th, 2025, with her daughter holding her hand. Her last days were filled with her three children, daughter-in-law, grandchild, great grandchild (and twin great grandchildren about to be born), companion and co-conspirator in epic fun, and the beloved Chloe, German Shepherd. The qualities of kindness and imagination were with her to the end, and she is loved and remembered and still inspiring family, extended family, and friends spanning Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, and Australia.

Mary is also remembered by many former students from a thirty-year teaching career in Trail (Montrose Kindergarten), Nakusp, Balfour, Princeton, Nanaimo, Nelson, Sicamous, and Celista. She pioneered the whole language approach to learning reading, instituted a daily ‘health hustle’ in her classroom, nurtured a garden with her students, and her class at North Shuswap elementary won the “Kids are Authors” award with their book The Shoe Monster. Her colleagues will remember her as energetic, and direct in her views and opinions. She enjoyed performing and volunteering in little theatre, attending concerts, plays, the symphony, and the ballet whenever possible, meeting artists and visionaries and collecting art, and talking politics. She travelled widely with a very small suitcase and a large sense of adventure.

Though not untouched by worries and sorrows, Mary lived a vivid and interesting life and believed in the stars. In the beautiful words of Antoine De Saint-Exupery:

“You – you alone – will have the stars as no one else has them – …

In one of the stars, I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing when you look at the sky at night…You – only you – will have stars that can laugh!”

There will be no service at Mary’s explicit request. In due course her ashes will join that of her husband, Ronald Charles Doubt, in a spot along the Pend d’Oreille River which holds much joy and wonderful memories for all of the Doubt family. All who believe in the stars are welcome.

My Imaginary Friend

 

Why yes, this is about you, my imaginary friend, yes, you. Strictly speaking, you are real; you have a physical presence, you exist in space and time – but you exist in my imagination, too.

I know some things about you. You are kind. You are private. You take pride in doing things well, and you have good friends with strong bonds. You take infinite care with my feelings, and you are protective, a little bit. You are funny, and the honest expression of your feelings leaves me breathless, at times. You choose to try to please me, and could there be anything more endearing?

My friend, you are beside me much of the day and through the night, too, though you are not actually here. Your hand in mine, the touch of your cheek, your arms reaching out for me are a constant presence. Your laughter echoes through these empty rooms, your care and attention walk the forest with me, your regard gives me a sureness that radiates. I want to share with you everything of beauty …

I expect I must get it wrong, sometimes. For my imagination has been shaped and coloured by its experiences and wanderings and reveries, just as yours. But no two imaginations are alike, and perhaps the wavelength swings awry, a time or two. Know this: I will be open to you, always. Always will I want to know what that keen mind of yours is thinking, what your heart is overflowing with, how you are planning to tease me next…

Yes, I love you. Though those are not the important words, these are: you shall always be my friend, and I shall always be curious about you, the deep inside you.

Be well, dear one.

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