POTVIN, Charles Amélie MONTPETIT (98 ENG -- 97 fra )
A Christmas for the Poor:
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I was ten at the beginning of the dirty thirties, when depression hit hard all over the country, affecting especially larger families like ours. Before that we had been quite well off with Father's holding on to two jobs, professional tailor and postman. But now we knew there was no longer question of buying toys and other goodies for Christmas. To our surprise that year, "Les Bonnes Amies" a group of women volunteer helping less fortunate families, visited our home offering each hild and my Mother a dollar each to spend. My, what a fortune! We children spent a whole day in Eaton's catalogue striving to choose one present out of so so many!
At last the long awaited Christmas day arrived and after midnight mass, each of us recewived our on dollar gift. Les Bonne Amies had also donated a huge brown beg full of nuts and candies and Japanese organge with their wonderful scent. Cecile had asked for a small hand sewing machine, while I had chosen a red solid rubber gall. I took extraordinary pleasure throwing a ball as high as I could on the school brick wall and catch it back jumping up, rarely missing. Now I would have my very own ball! I don't quite recall the other'a gifts, but I do remember, that Christimas morning, all of us gathered around Cecile, admiring her still as with one hand she turned the small wheell of her new sewing machine, veatly stiching together two pieces of a cut-out small yellow cotton shirt. She was happy as a queen as her spsinning wheel.
That Christmas noon as we garthered around the table for lunch, Father call in all rosy cheeked from the cold, back from thehigh mass where he had contributed to the Christmas choir liturgy. After mass, a few men had discussed the fate of a new Plouffe family recently in from Québec, being temporarily hosted in the back shed of the old Martel block. They were living there in total poverty with little heating facility. My kind hearted Father suggested that in spite of our own poverty, we might still be able to share something with them. Their daughter was nine years old and the boy younger.Immediately Mother said "I can give them my one dollar gift which Ihaven't yet spent. After a moment's thought, she added cautiously, "Would any of you be willing to share szomething for the two children? Total silence! Hearing that Iremember holding my red ball in verytightly in my apron pocket. Never could I part with it. I did not have that generosity. But then to my great astonishment, I saw Cecile going upstairs and return with her brand new sewing machine and offer it to my mother, without a word. How my heart ached for her. Then I went up to her and whispered. "Cecile, anytime you wish to play with my read ball, its your too you know" Again to my great dismay. I saw Mother dig her hands into our big brown bad, pulling our four oranges, a generous hand full of colored candies and nuts, things we then seldom enjoyed it our home.! I was I was scared there wouldn't be enough left for all ofus.I still had much to learn in the line of sharing!
After lunch, Father came in with the wheel barrow, filled to the brim with peace of coal and cut wood, and also potatoes, carrots and beets conserved in the said box downstairs Then Cecile and I dressed up and took off with Father for a one and a half mile walk to share Christmas with teh Plouff family. It was indeed a berautiful sunny Christman day with sparkling white snow and our hearts were filled with the joy, having good parents who loved their God and their fellowmen to sucha point. Can children ever forget such a Christmas amd the magnimous gesture of their parents and siblings forever imprinted in our young hearts.
ref: Sister Therese Potvin - "My Hand in His Hand"
The Potvin family, the parents are on top with 16 children. Eight children served
during the seconds World War. No. 8, Léo was killed in Holland on 8th avril 1945,
a month before the end of war. Léo was an air gunner, a very dangerous job.
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