Strange as it sounds, it was a cleaning spree after the chaos of Christmas that inspired Helaine Dufoe's latest book, “Wordz, Whiskerz and Wrinklez.”
She moved a planter that contained a music box that hadn't been wound in years. In the middle of the night on New Year's Eve, it spontaneously started playing its tune — “You Are My Sunshine.”
“I do a little volunteer work at the ladies' addiction centre,” Dufoe said. “Towards end of my hour there, it came into my head to tell this story about the music box.
“This one lady came up to me, crying, and said 'My son died a little while ago. His song is You Are My Sunshine, and I feel like you've given me a message of some kind.'”
Dufoe said she took this as a sign that perhaps she should be writing short stories of a spiritual nature about her experiences and those of her friends. She said she hopes her book offers a message of hope.
She self-published the book about a year ago with the intention donating the proceeds to the Maison McCulloch Hospice, where her husband recently passed away, as well as the Elgin Street Mission, where she volunteers.
“I have a box of the books in my bedroom at home, and I really would like to sell them and give the money to charity,” Dufoe said. “That's the whole purpose.”
The retired taxation centre worker has also penned five other books, some of which are autobiographical.
“Wordz, Whiskerz and Wrinklez” costs $13, and is available through Dufoe's website, as are her other books.
