By Kym Kennedy

It has been half a year since the Freedom Convoy 2022 took to the streets of our nation’s capital, giving hope and a voice to so many of us. Back before convoys, rallies, and the reliability of Druthers, I used to believe that media inaccuracies were mistakes that simply proved that none of us are infallible. I would be lying if I said that I did not occasionally miss that mentality. It allowed me to believe in innate goodness and an easy path to a prosperous future. When my mind wanders to that place of nearly longing for ignorance, it’s people like those truckers and protesters who bring me back to reality with the promise that the work of creating a better future for my child, will build my character and hers, and the country that we rebuild together, will be the product of thought, belief and passion.

My time was freed up to attend the Freedom Convoy back in January and February because I lost my job to vaccine mandates. Throughout my life, I’ve had many health problems. These problems precluded me from seeking gainful employment, and made me a poor candidate for experimental drugs with no long-term studies proving their safety. The job that I got in 2021 was really my first real go at something steady. It was perfect to me. It utilized my skills and put me in a beautiful place with people I loved. I worked there for three months, creating a successful event for the facility, and developing an educational program for children to implement over the holidays that celebrated diversity and encouraged cooperative thinking. It wasn’t the excitement of making a paycheck that compelled me. It was the prospect of making a difference.

I stood among the throngs of people in Ottawa, recognizing the difference they made. I can’t drive a big rig. I’m not sure if I have the motivational tone of a great orator, and I stood there questioning what I could contribute. In the midst of the convoy, I tuned into a right-leaning webbased show called Louder with Crowder, and amidst a discussion about Justin Trudeau and the scene here in Canada, comedian Dave Landau quipped “Do you have an Attic and a Blank Diary?” It was in that moment that I decided that my writing skills might be good enough to further the cause. So, I sat and wrote… not with the goal of being a best-selling author or Pulitzer Prize winner, but with the hope that my story would be compelling enough to inspire someone else to assess his or skills and join in the beautiful purpose, or that it would be relatable enough to make one person feel like he or she isn’t alone. Just maybe, I could write with honesty and passion, and stir in someone else, the incredible feeling of celebrating my culture with the phenomenal and diverse patriotic souls who reminded me that Canada is worth fighting for.

I looked into how to self-publish a book, and found Kindle Direct Publishing. I didn’t need to convince well established liberal publishers that my story was worth telling. I just had to believe in myself and establish a work ethic, and Amazon would do the rest. My daughter, who was twelve years old when she made the trip to Ottawa with me, designed a cover for my new book An Attic and a Blank Diary: Insights Into the Freedom Convoy 2022, and I set out on the remarkable path of encounters with some of the most inspirational people I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with. I can’t begin to count the extent of the blessings I experienced. I talked about politics and theology with Artur Pawlowski, and about law and order with Daniel Bulford and Matthew Blacklaws at Police on Guard for Thee. Incredible doctors fact-checked me. Brian Peckford e-mailed me a correction to my story. I celebrated Tamara Lich’s win of the George Jonas Freedom Award with her. I heard moving stories from Brigitte Belton and from Jody Ledgerwood. I wrote, and I realized that I wasn’t an unemployed victim of vaccine mandates. I was a successful woman with the prospect of making a meaningful difference. So, here I am… Kym Kennedy, Canadian author and activist, because you made me so. You, the readers who have time for the concerns of your fellow Canadians. You, the publishers of Druthers, who encourage speaking truth to power. You, the masses of unique wonderful individuals, who believe in the power of a single voice. Whether my book drives Justin Trudeau to regretful tears, or goes no further than making my mother proud, thank you for the support of a community that can make me nothing less than a success.

Book: https://www.amazon.ca/Attic-Blank-Diary-Insights-Freedom/dp/1778220517

E-Book: https://www.amazon.ca/Attic-Blank-Diary-Insights-Freedom-ebook/dp/B0B75TT16V