IN OUR PRAYERS

Like the movie set for The Shop Around The Corner in You've Got Mail, our town treasure of a bookstore, Blue Heron Books, immediately welcomes the reader with its unpretentious, quaint, homey feel.  None of the sterile shelves and chilly tiled floors of a Chapters/Indigo or Barnes & Noble greet you.  Instead, creaky floors, wooden shelves and comfy chairs ooze the warmth of Uxbridge's literary hub.

Do not, however, allow the cozy atmosphere to lull you into believing this is merely a backwoods bookstore.  Our beloved Blue Heron Books holds the honour of being Canada's Number One Independent Bookseller.  Shelley McBeth, the owner is a passionate, knowledgeable bookseller determined to create a happening place for her community.  And that she has more than accomplished.  Something is always happening - art shows in a separate room in the rear of the store,

book events, reading and signings,

and a plethora of classes and workshops,

all announced on the Blue Heron Website, but also on a charming blackboard which prominently hangs from the store rafters.

So why my title, In Our Prayers, you ask.  Shelley McBeth is the heart and soul of Blue Heron Books 

and for me one of a triumvirate of unique business women (Lisa Hutchinson of The Passionate Cook and Cathy Christoff of the Roxy Theatre) who have lent much to creating the vibrant, community-involved town that Uxbridge is today.

On Monday, January 27, returning from Pass the Book Launch, Shelley was involved in a horrific car accident on Lakeridge Road which required that she be transported to a Toronto Trauma unit.  She has suffered undetermined head trauma which cannot currently be fully assessed. The respiratory implications of heavy sedation necessitate a breathing tube.  Her injuries include a broken clavicle and ribs, multiple fractures of her left arm which required surgery, and a bruised spleen.  On the positive side, Shelley can squeeze hands and recognize faces.  

And so our mighty little town holds its collective breathe and in an outpouring of love prays for the full, speedy recovery an Uxbridge treasure, Shelley McBeth.