A couple of
incidents come to mind that brought this to our attention. One was when we accompanied
the French National Band of l’Armee du Salut (The Salvation Army) to the
American Cathedral on Christmas Sunday. For the Americans the international
Salvation Army tradition of putting money in the large red pot to help with the
work of providing for the needy, was a familiar part of their Christmas
activities. They also associated this with the martial music of the brass band.
Thus came the invitation to the Salvation Army Band to participate at the
Cathedral on Christmas Sunday.
As we filed
into the Cathedral, and heard the organ rumbling out the familiar carols and
heard the words of them in our own language (English), the tears sprang
unbidden to our eyes. Memories of years of singing these carols on snowy
December streets in many cities in Canada flooded our minds. The only place
that we had seen snow in France was when we visited the mountains in the massif
centrale.
Not only
were we stimulated by the sounds of Christmas, but our memories of our life far
away were further heightened by the sights of the familiar decorations, with
the twinkling lights on the Christmas trees, the poinsettias and the pine
boughs that decorated the sanctuary. It was not that we did not see some of the
same Christmas symbols in Paris, but it was the way they were displayed in the
church that looked so much like home.
The longing
to be gathered together with family and long-time friends who shared our
traditions rose from our hearts to our throats and choked us with a sense of
homesickness. My husband crept out of the sanctuary into the vestibule lest
anyone see the tears streaming down his cheeks. We decided that morning that if
we were going to survive Christmases away from home, we would have to avoid
places like this.
3 comments:
Oh yes, Eleanor, 'tis the season for sweet memories and reminiscing on Christmases past. Thank you for sharing your family's experience of Christmas longings for home. It was lovely that you had those opportunities to gain some of that Canadian / North American feel during your time in Europe. ~~+~~
So brutally honest! Encouraging and uplifting! Thank you!
Sometimes when things aren't as we think they should be it gives us a new appreciation for our own norms. I am sure in your sadness and longings, you blessed others mightily. Maybe different for you and your family, but you gained so much during that time, by the sound of it. You've made me think about the preciousness of 'being home' with my family. Merry Christmas, Eleanor.
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