“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place”  ~ Kurt Vonnegut

Anna Bertha Cohen-Ferguson;
names with origins
spanning diverse lineages and borders,
God’s creation,
a daughter, a sister,
a beautiful soul,
an old soul,
known to me as Mom. 


Brought into this world in Cheribon, Indonesia
her brief sanctuary,
 too soon a paradise lost
where war and strife,
typhoons of life,
became stern teachers of
strength, resilience
and faith in a better world.


In her own words,
always “one step ahead” of demise,
her tender spirit pummelled and weary,
yet miraculously unbroken,
forged into a secret sacred heart
of mettle unmatched,
a benevolent survivor,
courage demonstrated.

She found a safe harbor
in Arthur Eric Ferguson,
a celestial guide,
a steadfast soul mate for life,
the father of my siblings and me,
the patriarch of this constellation.




Gypsy blood lines,
or something like it,
took them to lands afar;
foreign cultures embraced,
languages learned, challenges met,
with three young children in tow.





Indonesia to Holland

Holland to Argentina,
back to Holland,
when Australia didn’t pan out,
and ultimately Canada,
their final stop,
the place they christened with pride,
our home,

and where Mark, our youngest brother joined us.

Their search for a better life
wasn’t found,
they created it,
from scratch,
persevering,
going without,
making it work,
just doing it
when it needed to be done.




Three years ago cancer became her nemesis,
and once again
she faced this latest challenge

with her focused spirit intact

a warrior in the most compassionate form.

She left this world 

on Friday December 18, 2015

peacefully

with her children at her side.


She will be missed by all who knew her,

and remembered dearly as

Anna, a celebration of life.

Henri, Mom, Jess.


Copyright © Henri Ferguson 2013 All rights reserved
Author Notes
My mom would have 88 on January 6, 2016. She lived an incredibly full life and although she had struggled physically; mentally she maintained her vibrant spirit and met each day with optimism and gratitude for the little things. A few years back while driving around Edmonton with my mom she said: “I am now 85 years old and look at these hands, these 85 year old hands, sometimes they did it right sometimes they did it wrong, but here I am with these same hands doing what I can today because that is just who I am”. This was Anna, a celebration of life.