JACQUES GAUVIN, RELIGION

Simon Post Introduction

I first met Simon in the Worldwide Church of God back around 1984-85. We crossed paths infrequently at that time as he was part of a different congregation. A few years later we met again when I started meeting with Church of God International in Toronto. For years, about 5, we saw each other on the Sabbath and frequently had brief conversations, broke bread together and fellowshipped at coffee shops and other locations. There were also times when he met with a small number of others at my apartment for fellowship on the Sabbath.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I left CGI because of mental anguish due to a mental illness that I would be diagnosed with a few years later. Shortly after my leaving CGI Simon fell from a ladder and broke his neck. He was put on life support and was in intensive care in a hospital in my home town of Hamilton and only a short ways away from my apartment. He was a quadriplegic now. I started to visit him every Sabbath.

Around this time I got fired from a job that I held for 11 years. I got thrown out of the Hamilton Library system. I got put out of College. I really could not understand what was going on. What had I done? Why were so many casting me away? Then I got diagnosed as having a mental illness and started taking medication. Simon was broken physically and I was broken mentally. We were both on the mend to a degree. These were common bonding agents for us.

Simon did get a little better but he died after about 5 years. Throughout that time he was on life support. I was told that he was among or the longest surviving victim of such a fatal accident, the breaking of his neck and becoming a quadriplegic, in Canada. I took some comfort in that and was proud of him.

During his hospital time he was able to do a little drawing using his mouth and with the help of another friend he composed a few stories. He probably gave me copies of all the stories he wrote but some of them I, regretfully, threw out during cleaning and tidying up. When I decided to devote a section of my website to him I only had one article and later found another. I am still trying to get in touch with others who may have copies and hope to add to the collection.

These articles have not been edited by me at all. I copied them just the way Simon gave them to me. I think they add to the picture you will get of Simon. He was a first generation Canadian Dutch immigrant who struggled with English. I know that he worked very hard at telling these stories and in getting them in readable condition. Kudos to him and thanks to the gentleman who helped him.

2018 Jacques Gauvin