Heartstrings (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781456599447)

Margaret Eileen High (née Hutchings) was born in the small community of Bell Island off the east coast of Newfoundland, Canada. She is the daughter of an iron ore miner and a stay-at-home-mom. At sixteen she moved to Cambridge, Ontario to find work and stayed with her aunt until her parents arrived one year later with her two younger brothers. Married at nineteen, Margaret had her first child at twenty-one, a beautiful daughter. And four years later she had a son. Most of her life, she has worked in factories, but all the while she loved to compose verses for family and friends. She had no idea she had a talent for creating personalized poetry until she was in her late forties when her husband, Dan, recognized her gift and encouraged her to pursue it. In 1999 she sent one of her poems to the National Library of Poetry and received the Editor's Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry. She also wanted to share her poetry with senior citizens as a volunteer reader, but she lacked the courage. Not to be defeated, Margaret joined Grand River Toastmasters in July 2007 and gradually gained the confidence she felt she lacked. With the support of fellow members, she has now completed ten speeches and received her Competent Communicator award. As well, she is currently V.P. Public Relations for the club. Without any formal education to speak of, just basic public schooling, Margaret says: "I have struggled due to my lack of education, but I never gave up. I am still learning every day." In April 2008, Margaret self-published her first book of poetry titled Heartstrings with the assistance of Petnyaa Self-Publishing Services. Gardening, camping and her two grandsons are Margaret's passions (besides her poetry) and she spends as much time as possible with the boys. She endeavours to enjoy every single day and her favourite quote is, "Enjoy the journey."