“I Learn to KEEP My Mouth SHUT”

Apr 29th “I Learn to KEEP My Mouth SHUT”

“Back… in the 1940’s …there was a “SUNDAY LAW” – –

Business was closed … so that the Boss and all of the Workers… could be at home for that extra special time… that would be needed… for all go to Church and enjoy a full DAY of REST.

With these arrangements… then the whole FAMILY would have DINNER – – celebrating – together that special day and time, with the Almighty’s help all week long.

In the Bible… we are to work six days and REST on the Seventh!

With the WAR over now… now WE can rest up and start all over… doing all the things that make for a very interesting LIFE… and sharing quality TIME… always and forever with the whole FAMILY… all being together!

But… in this next PHOTO…. here we are still in the Orphanage and it is a “Visiting Sunday.”

It was a good thing that my Dad would remember to bring his box camera so that he could take a picture or two, and some how or the other, that I would get to see the pictures on a following SUNDAY!

Denny with the RED hair, ME with the old Brown hair, and TOMMY with the Blond hair.

I would have loved to have had either of the colors of hair, that my brothers got, but being first in this family… have to be satisfied with what I did receive… as there is always… the possibility of getting no hair at all!

I’m thinking that all through my LIFE, I did learn to keep my mouth shut and like that which was going on, as there was no way… that I was in a position to ever change anything!

When you are in an Institution, as we were and in those years… there was one thing that I did learn very early.

If and when someone is asking you, what you do from day to day, and you start to answer, you need to remember… that what you say could get you into lots of trouble.

In the above photo, I may be in the third or fourth grade of school, but when I was first here and in the Second Grade, my Mother asked me and I did tell her… that my job is working on the ground floor, “GIRLS” bathroom and that I am to wash the toilets out as part of the work that I do.

“How do you wash the toilets?” There were six to eight toilets and I have a bucket of water and a rag and a bar of brown soap, I soap up the rag and wash the inside of the toilet bowl and flush and go to the next.

“Do you wear any kind of gloves to protect your hands?” No… I just go to the next and the next and move on to whatever the next part of the work that needs to be done!

My Mother could not get home fast enough. She immediately sent a letter to the Courts System, and in those days… they received her letter early MONDAY, and someone did contact the Orphanage by telephone this same day and this letter highly outraged the NUNS.

The next morning as we are getting in our places to go to the Chapel… as Mass will start at Six o’clock, I just so happen to be at the first couple of places in the line-up, and called by name to step out, and that “NUN” asks, “What is this… that you had to tell your MOTHER … about cleaning the toilets… WHAT EVER you are told to do … you will do… and YOU will not tell your MOTHER!”

That was what she said… and with that, The NUN used her bony hand to slap my face a couple of times, so that I started crying… and after that I was afraid to tell my MOTHER about anything that happened.

(More on this story… to come)