A lifelong passion for postal work inadvertently led a local woman's path to reconnect with sisters she had not seen since being adopted at a young age.
"I like hauling mail," said Sharon Jackson, 68, who lives in Sundre.
"The route's very special to me, because it helped me find my sisters."
Originally from Provost, her family moved to Westward Ho in the mid '50s before she and her five sisters were adopted by different families a few years later. Jackson was seven years old at the time, and ended up living west of Olds.
For many years, she would be able to keep in touch with only two of her sisters and thought she might never see the others again.
Years later, when she married in 1966, Jackson moved to Sundre.
Just a few years later, she successfully applied for a position with Canada Post after a neighbour who'd seen an ad for the job encouraged her to go for it over a cup of coffee.
She has since run the postal route servicing rural properties for the Bearberry and Bergen areas.
When she began delivering mail along her rural route, residents got to know her and her story and eventually realized one of her sisters had ended up in the area, leading to their reunion, she said.
"The women I was hauling mail to happened to know us as kids."
This in turn led to reconnecting with another sister who was in Edmonton, she said.
"It was wonderful," said Jackson, adding it was exciting to see them again after all those years.
That memorable moment meant a lot to Jackson, who has always enjoyed her line of work.
"It's the same thing, but it's different every day," said the route driver for Canada Post Sundre.
"One day leads to another, and then a week goes by, then a month, then a year, then decades and here I am!"
After her first 21 years of working three days a week, she took on full-time delivery, which she has done ever since. Jackson has delivered mail for 48 years.
"I go in at 6:30 in the morning, and I'm usually done at about 3, five days a week."
The job doesn't come without its share of hurdles ó deciphering Christmas cards is one of the most challenging parts of her job, she said after a brief moment of thought.
"Sometimes you get first names and no last names and incorrect addresses, and you try to figure out who it should go to."
She recalled the time some children from Calgary tried to send a parcel to their dog, which had ended up having to live with their grandparents in the area.
"All it had on it was the dog's name and the route number."
Still, she had experience in such matters and was able to figure out where the parcel should go.
Over the span of nearly half a century, Jackson said she has seen a number of changes, such as the roads going to Bearberry, which were gravel when she first started but have since been paved. Throughout her time, Jackson has seen six postmasters come through and the post office relocated a few times.
The Internet has also heralded major changes in the world of mail. Although the number of parcels has gone up, regular letter mail has gone down noticeably, she said.
But that doesn't stop her from sending out greetings during the holidays.
"I send everybody on my route a Christmas card," she said.
About 10 years ago, Jackson was recognized for exemplary service by Canada Post and given a vest. Michael Thompson, the postmaster at the time, recommended her for the work she did with other route drivers.
"They said they'd rather have more route drivers like me."
The mother of a son and daughter, Jackson also has a granddaughter, who works in Sundre, a grandson, and a three-year-old great-grandson who lives in Nova Scotia.
Finding some time to herself isn't always easy.
"What spare time?" she said with a smile when asked what she enjoys doing on her time off.
Although Jackson also works four days a week at the Bergen Road Liquor Store following her route, she still manages to find some leisure time.
"About the only night of the week my TV comes on is Friday," she said, adding she likes to catch murder mysteries like Murder She Wrote, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Longmire.
When the opportunity presents itself, Jackson also enjoys a game of crib, like her mom Ruby Baker, 98, who lives in Cremona.
Also, "I like to do crochet, read, and I like my flowers in the summertime," she said, adding she enjoys spending time on her garden plot at her home in the Valley Mobile Home Park taking care of her favourites such as calla lilies and shasta daisies.
However, Jackson said she plans to continue delivering mail "as long as I've got good health."
