“When does “Tomorrow”  ever come for ME?”

“An Extra Special Happy Birthday Mom… and forever more”

Mom & all 4 001

This is the…  SAME LOCATION…  as the PHOTO below.

But in this Photo… that is my MOTHER… and  now… she is holding our baby sister Karen… this twin, that was a survivor!

Identical twins were born, each weighing eight and a half pounds… but first to be born was Kathleen, and had some trouble with the lungs… and was buried at Calvary Cemetery.

                        “Life Changes in… SEPTEMBER…”

Baby Karen 001

In SEPTEMBER  of 1945… LIFE as I knew it …came to a big change.

Since my MOTHER would be having twins in FEBRUARY of 1946…

My two  brothers DENNY  and TOMMY and ME  – would need a place to be taken care of … for a short time… A time long enough for my Mother to have the “TWINS” that she was now  expecting and a few months after the delivery… so that she could get back on her feet… to be able to do… all that she was now doing… but then… with five children.

This is what  my MOTHER was told while …all of the paperwork that she was  now signing … for this temporary placement to get started …that all  of this  preparation was just a formality … but once we were actually placed in the Orphanage … there was another story and they were not letting us leave…  when something sounds too good … beware… that which you were told … was not the truth.

To begin the search for this temporary housing…

There were three locations  – that children could be placed on a temporary basis.   The first one that we all went too… for a visit with a social worker  – doing the driving and giving us all the details  – as to what she thought would be a good place for each of us…

First, Saint Mary’s Home for Girls – in the South Saint Louis area.  This place – made a real impression on me – it was a very tired  and worn out place – and not at all friendly  and not really  a place… that I was wanting to go – and no amount of telling me – it would only be for a short time… was making me think differently!

The second place would be for boys only… Saint Joseph Home for Boys… and since I was not to go there – well nothing at all was very appealing  to me.

My two brothers – well they were just  too young to know what they wanted  and or even like, and I do not think that they had any idea … of what was really going on.

When each of my brothers were to be born… well I was the one that had to go somewhere for a short stay  – – and even the bag of candy  that I was given … did not set too well with me.

 That is one time – I’ll never forget!

I have this bag of candy to hold, all the while these adults are showing us this place … the different rooms … where I will be sleeping and  eating and playing… and then secretly my parents are no longer around… gone!

All the while I am taken to different places where all the children are… and I am still holding on to my bag of candy!

Now… it is that time of the day…  for us, children  to go to bed. I will not turn loose of my bag of candy. 

Finally I am placed in this bed… still holding tight that bag of candy… will not turn loose of it for no reason … at all!

Surprise it is MORNING… and I no longer have that bag of candy. Looked all over and started to cry… so that someone would help me, to find that bag of candy.

Nobody cared about my bag of candy… and was told “Tomorrow you will receive another bag of candy!”

To a young child… being told … “Tomorrow  YOU will receive a bag of CANDY”… means nothing at all.

“When does “Tomorrow”  ever come for ME?”

In the above photo… My FATHER is holding the one surviving twin KAREN –  then there is DENNY –  Mary Ellen – – TOMMY.

Did you ask…  are we HAPPY?

– – NO!


Posted in Childhood, Family, Grandma, Today and tagged , with 2 comments.

Comments

  • Alan says:

    That’s right, tomorrow doesn’t always come and you cannot trust people when they say “tomorrow”! This must be why you learned to HIDE everything you got in the orphanage! I love you Grammy, it makes me sad to hear some of your stories and the adversity you faced, but of course it made you stronger and I love that about you!

  • Alyssa Leverenz says:

    I can’t imagine what that day must have been like for you – the very first night at the orphanage! I wish I was around back then – I would have adopted you myself! 🥰

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