Only Kids – Anyway!

When,  you are a little girl in an  Orphanage, you learn new ways to celebrate Christmas! Even though  I went to a Catholic School before  German St.Vincent Orphan Home,  the  Nuns, were of different religious orders, and some of the  Nuns at St.Vincent, came from Germany.

Before Christmas,  there are the four  (4) weeks of Advent. You were encouraged to perform some type  of mortification – repentance, so that when Christmas  arrived, you were more in the  Spirit of Receiving  the Christ Child, into the world. You were to become a more  meek and mild person!

Since I was just eight  years old, and had to learn all these new ways and rules (and you may as well hear it from me  –  some of the  Nuns, were very mean and excessive  and abusive, to some of the children).

As the first and oldest child in my family,  I did learn to listen, watch what was going on, learn a lesson or two! So that is what I did, paid attention to what the older girls did when receiving candy, like the  stocking from Famous Barr store,  and on Visiting Day, or if one of the  Nuns gave out treats for work done  –  accumulated “quite a stash!”

Now  that I am so much older and wiser  – if you are going to give up something for  Advent or Lent  –  you do not accept  just to enjoy, later!  What was your big sacrifice?   Do little kids understand all that?


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