THE PACT – BRYAN DEMCHiNSKY
“There is a picture of them, standing together the first time they met. Mary is turned out for the occasion, in a stylish skirt and a jacket with a corsage pinned on that says she is there to announce the wedding of a cousin. Her dark hair is tied back. It is longer than she would wear it during most of her life, and her complexion seems darker than when she was older, perhaps because of the hours spent under a farmyard sun. She is still girlish. Stan, always a stylish dresser, looks as casual as he ever will in a photo, presumably because he was working when the engagement party pulled into his yard. His sleeves are rolled up and his shirt is opened a button lower than it needs to be. His pants are flared – a kind of early bell-bottoms look – hitched high with suspenders. He too looks kissed by the sun and his rusty hair is still luxuriant, which it would not be on the day they married, ten years and a world war later.”
Before clan, tribe or nation, there is family. Families propel our genes through time and cast a glow that makes them an endless source of fascination. The Pact is the story of one family told through lives of two people bound together by a promise kept.
Inspired by my Uncle BRYAN (a writer, editor and explorer) I wanted to share with you all a photograph of my beloved grandparents, STAN and MARY DEMCHiNSKY. I have kept this photograph close to my heart for years, and the love I have for my family and their history is something I can’t even begin to speak to. Words could never fully express what my family means to me.
Uncle BRYAN worked as a newsprint guy at The Montreal Gazette for nearly 30 years, and during that time he also published 5 books on architecture, biography and literary history – all reflecting his “enduring affection” for his adopted hometown (Flin Flon of course!). I love and admire all of my aunts and uncles, and specifically what I love about Uncle BRYAN is not only his connection to family history, but also his willingness to share it and keep it going – as I find even myself becoming more and more reflective about my family history. My grandparents passed away in the summer of 2009 – and although our family has grown and changed in structure since then – I know many of us still feel a giant void at the loss of STAN and MARY. Someday I too hope to leave something behind that can fully speak to what their love and history means to me and the rest of the family. What is so beautiful to me about my Uncle’s specifically, is that like Grandpa STAN and his brothers, they posses an ability to tell stories in such a way that had all of us kids (and adults alike) listening and connected. This in itself is a family trait passed down to generations.
In the meantime, Uncle BRYAN true to the story-teller that my grandpa/his father was – has started his own website (www.brydem.com) and one of the stories he shares, THE PACT – speaks about the love between STAN and MARY DEMCHiNSKY – as seen in this photograph.
Without further interuption – let me share with you his short story – and for STAN and MARY DEMSHiNSHKY – know that we all miss you and carry you with us – always.
CC xoxoxo
