“
Stories of My
life” is the remarkable story of an
extraordinary man. We are all extraordinary; we all have a story to tell. Ivan Morgan tells his story through memories dictated to his daughter: Mary Morgan-McKnight. We
hear of his ancestors coming over to Canada from Wales. We hear of the struggles his ancestors endured for religious freedom.
Ivan relays the story of his remarkable birth, and survival. We hear of how his mother vowed that if he lived through his tumultuous first few days, the rest of his life would be devoted God.
It wasn’t until he was much older that Ivan “heard the call”. It is as if his devotion to God was ingrained from birth.
Ivan was a remarkable man, he had many friends and he inspired so many young people to join the ministry. He was the Principal of McMaster University’s divinity college, a teacher and a preacher.
Ivan had so many loyal
parishioners through the years. It was a different
time when he started out. Now, ministers have to justify their existence to committees and congregations. When Ivan was preaching, his parishioners viewed him as a
friend, or a guide through the journey of finding one’s religion.
“Stories of my Life” is not pretentious, nor is it boastful. Ivan gives us short glimpse into his 92 year history. There are small vignettes, jokes, anecdotes, parables, and thank you notes. Ivan wants us to see that we are all special; we all have stories to tell.
Speaking to Ivan’s family after his death, they were all so happy to have this book as a living history of their family, and of a more innocent and generous time. They learned things about their Grandfather, Father and friend that they had never known and would have never known.
For the casual reader, it is a lovely look at how we are all extraordinary and we all have stories of our lives.
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