We first posted this in 2016, but thought you’d get a kick out of seeing it again!

Lynn’s parents, Mervyn and Ursula, owned a jewelry store in Vancouver when Lynn was a kid. Lynn’s mom used to do gift-wrapping in the back of the shop, and she would make her own custom gift bows from scratch, using ribbons.

Lynn’s friends and family appreciate her carrying on the family tradition — you can tell when a present is something Lynn (or her daughter, Katie) have wrapped. Katie’s special talent is gift baskets, but Lynn is the queen of the pom-pom bow. Watch this video tutorial to see how she does it!

Kerreen Reiger has just completed her much-anticipated biography of Murray Enkin, the beloved obstetrician who convinced Lynn to publish her first book. Enjoying the Interval is now available! Kerreen will be speaking at a Vancouver launch event, on October 3rd at 7pm at B.C. Women’s Hospital.

About The Book:

Anyone who has enjoyed the great happiness and intimacy of a family-centred birth, and any midwife or health professional who has attended one, owes a debt of gratitude to internationally known Canadian doctor, researcher, and medical reformer, Murray Enkin.

Enjoying the Interval takes on the fascinating, joyful task of exploring Dr Enkin’s identity and achievements along with the social context that shaped them. It offers a critical assessment of the ongoing challenges in maternity care, the field to which Enkin devoted his life, but it is also the story of an immigrant Jewish family’s contribution to Canadian society and the wider world.

Lynn’s Recollections of Murray:

Both Murray and I were still living in Ontario when Kerreen Reiger began to write his biography. I can’t remember how many years it’s been! Murray Enkin was a remarkable man. A well-known educator and specialist in obstetrics, he was an advocate for midwifery and natural childbirth.

Having lectured on and written about his belief that having a baby was not a medical emergency, but an intimate, personal event, he allowed his patients to make their own decisions about how they wanted to live the experience. He believed in the father, and even siblings, being present. At a time when everyone assigned pregnancy to the hospital, he advocated for home birth and (if there were no complications) for having your baby in the most comfortable way possible.

I worked for him as an illustrator at McMaster University in the early 70s and when I had my son, he was my obstetrician. It was Murray who insisted I do a cartoon book about childbirth. He helped me find a publisher. When I was offered a job as a comic strip artist with Universal Press Syndicate, I thanked Murray for having had such faith in me as an artist. His support was constant. If someone believes in you, you can do almost anything!

When Kerreen suggested she write a book about Murray, I thought it was a wonderful idea. The thing is…there was so much to write about. Kerreen didn’t know what she was in for! Murray’s life and accomplishments are profound. It has taken her many years to finish this manuscript. She has followed Murray and Eleanor Enkin from Hamilton Ontario to Toronto to England to Vancouver, interviewing him, reading his work, studying his research, talking to friends and meeting his associates. The book is finally done. I asked Kerreen if she could believe she was actually looking at the proofs! She told me it had turned out to be a lifetime experience.

Now that it’s finished, this book is more than a biography. It’s a labour of love and a profound record of a life that was dedicated to science, to family, and to the next generation. I am fortunate to have known Murray Enkin so well. I am fortunate to know his family, his friends and his biographer. The photo of Murray sitting in his favourite chair, on the cover, was taken by me. Thanks, Kerreen, for this honour, and for completing this massive document. It is two lives’ work, yours and his. It’s an honour to have known you both.

Get the book here!

Curious what this is about? Read part one of Snapshots and Images here, and part two here.

67. Do you have a special memory associated with a major event?

Laurel: I remember the sights and sounds of Expo 86. The feeling of joy every day. Pavilions and rides and food and company all summer.

Lynn: I was invited to receive a star on the Toronto Walk of Fame. That was major enough for me!

68. Have you had an awesome moment on a trip? 

Laurel: I remember standing with a friend high up in the Alps in Italy, looking down at fields far below us and later, in Australia, going on a riverboat and seeing crocodiles swim beside us.

Lynn: High in the mountains of Peru, I was invited into a farmhouse to see how it was built and how the owners lived. The family was lovely. I felt honoured. In China, we were carried on bamboo chairs up a steep hillside to a “Minority Village.” The view from the top was spectacular and the women—who were known to have the longest hair in the world—would remove their hats (for a small fee) and let us see their hair cascade down to the ground. 

69. Have you ever done something just plain silly? 

Laurel: My friend Judy and I jumped, fully clothed, into the outdoor pool at Second Beach then drove, soaking wet, to the White Spot carhop section for burgers. Another time we parked the car, a Morris Minor, by the side of a grassy hill and rolled, log fashion, down the hill, laughing all the way.

Lynn: I have done countless silly things. Beer and Skits in Lynn Lake was an annual onstage, drunken blowout. I always played a role. Public speaking also comes to mind. 

Curious what this is about? Read part one of Snapshots and Images here.

34. What is a visual of something you had heard about all your life and finally saw for the first time? 

Laurel: I remember seeing the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains and the prairies in Canada.

Lynn: Seeing Niagara Falls for the first time was breathtaking. I had only seen it in photos and in the Marilyn Monroe movie.    

35. What do you remember about a piece of clothing you have loved?

Laurel: I remember my blue velvet dress from university and my first Danier black leather jacket. I remember my first mini-skirt and my elephant pants in the 70s at university. Cashmere sweaters.

Lynn: My favourite dress was hand crocheted, white and had a purple ribbon running around the bodice. I cried when I grew out of it. I think I was three. In my teens, I purchased a dark orange leather mini skirt and matching jacket. I thought I was ready for “Vogue.”    

36. Have you ever met someone you admired or someone famous?

Laurel: I took my class to watch Princess Diana drive by during Expo 86 and she waved right at us.

Lynn: I met and got to know Phyllis Diller. What a lovely lady—funny, kind and very, very smart!