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COMMENTARY: Being descendant of L.M. Montgomery means finding kindred spirits everywhere

My name is Blair (without an “e” if you please) Macdonald and I am a great-grandson of Lucy Maud Montgomery, best known for Anne of Green Gables. When I’m asked how it feels to be related to Maud, my answer is always the same … humbling.

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It amazes me that people have any interest in me given that I simply ride on her coat-tails in the literary kingdom she built. While I am an accomplished writer in my own mind since one of my short stories was featured on Write Stuff on TVOntario when I was in Grade 6, I haven’t quite seen the same success as Maud.

But I’m only turning 50, so who knows what the future will bring?

Today, I find myself looking back through a lifetime of memories and feeling a need to share them with friends, family, and even strangers. Some might call it a classic midlife crisis, but I prefer to think of it as a midlife enlightenment.

Every time a fan of Maud asks me for an autograph, photo, or simple conversation, it is an honour for me. I have attended the Emperor of Japan’s birthday party at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto, the opening night of Anne of Green Gables – The Ballet in Halifax, and too many events and productions to list in a short article.

Truth be told, I’ve done nothing to deserve the experiences afforded me other than being adopted by parents with the right lineage — my late father David Macdonald was the son of Maud and Rev. Ewan Macdonald’s son, Chester. But I accept the opportunities with grace and profound appreciation.

It was the early 1980s, and I was about age seven when I first learned that my great-grandmother had written Anne of Green Gables.  But back then, I was more interested in making friends with the right........

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