D painting was created by Azul Valentina.
The first time I was left behind and left alone was when I was five years old.
It was on Christmas Day and Mass had just ended. I think the church is called either St Peter or St. Paul and is located on Portage Avenue. It is near by that airplane statue and every time I drive by there I tell the kids that I was left there on Christmas Day.
I saw Camille running ahead of me to the car parked on the street. I was running down a little slope when I saw her get in the car (for some reason I was going to describe her in a brown or blue dress but that couldn’t be right because she would have a coat on). Then I saw the car door shut and worse than that, I saw the car pull away.
It is amazing that I had the wherewithal to keep myself together and after a while I trudged back up the little slope to the church. I went to the priest and told him who I was and that I was left behind. I remember him getting a man to drive me home (I also remember the priest giving me a chocolate bar.)
On that ride home I think that was the first time I ever got to sit in the front seat of a car. I must have been scared but I don’t remember that at all. What I do remember is feeling excited because I was in the front seat of the car and I had a whole chocolate bar.
The man walked me up to the house and rang the doorbell. When I stepped into the house I saw all of the kids opening Christmas presents (I remember seeing Camille’s back again and there was the brown/blue dress). Mom came to the door and the man told her what happened. My God, she (*the cat’s mother) went white and went crazy on my father.
All in all I was one lucky little girl. There were only good people in the world that day (thank you God).
*The cat’s mother is a term that was said a lot in my home. If we ever spoke about my Mom we were never allowed to say ‘she’. We would say ‘Mom said, Mom did, Mom went, etc.’ If we ever (which we never) said ‘She said, She did, She went, etc.,’ my Mom would say ‘Who are you talking about, the cat’s mother?’
3 comments:
Hi Renee,That is such a funny story. It made me laugh.The church I believe in St. Paul's, quite near our home. I am trying to figure out who the priest was then.
We are only 6 kids but once we left my brother in the grocery store at our lake.
Thanks for the "12 Days of Christmas daily info. . At our house, the french hens were always our old French aunts.
You are such a blessing. Love, Barb
aww ... wouldn't it be great if we could go back in time to see you as that little girl? isn't there a home movie kicking around from that day showing camille running to the car? everytime we have watched it, I think someone says" that was the day we left renee behind ..." maybe if we slow-mo it we will see you in the background?
xoxo
hi renee
the church was
St. Paul The Apostle's church.
i remember as i always loved that church, and remember always loving the park beside it.
not surprising that camille's dress would be blue and brown since my was always ahead of her time when it comes to style.
together strong jacquie
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