Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Christmas in 1946


Last Wednesday I wrote about a time when Dad hocked his watch and Mom was able to give it back to him at Christmas. I mistakenly said this happened in 1946 when I was in fifth grade. However, upon reflection, I think it was 1945 and I was in fourth grade.
         On the other hand, today’s Christmas story did take place in 1946, when I was in fifth grade and beginning to develop a bosom, as we said then. Once again, money was scarce. So Mom explained to my brother and me that we’d be receiving only one gift for Christmas. She asked for a list of five things from which she could select one. The first and only item on my list was a medallion pin. All my girl friends at Saint Mary’s Grade School had them. It was truly all I wanted that Christmas.
         We fifth graders wore uniforms—pleated blue skirts and short-sleeved white cotton blouses with a pocket on the left side of our chest. To dress up the uniform, we carefully arranged a lace-edged handkerchief in the pocket. We’d then fold down one of the handkerchief’s corners over the pocket and use an attractive pin to center it. That year, most of the other girls had medallion pins to do this. I wanted to be like my friends in every way.


Here's a simple crocheted-edged handkerchief.
Many girls in my 1946 classroom wore ones with elaborate lace trimming.

         My brother, who was seven, asked for traps. He wanted to set up a trap line on the backfields of the twenty-acres on which we lived. He planned to check the traps each morning before school and bring home whatever he’d caught—mostly rabbits.


This Conibear body-gripping trap was named after its Canadian inventor.
The ones my brother used were much simpler.
From the time he was seven in 1945,
until he left home in 1960,
he trapped and provided food for our table.

         I found myself a little peeved that my brother asked for something that would help out the family while I asked for something really selfish—a medallion to make myself more like the other fifth-grade girls. Mom assured me this was okay. But I was certain that she was secretly proud of my brother.
         On Christmas morning, both he and I were elated when we found two gifts each under the tree. I opened the smaller one first, hoping that it would contain a medallion pin. It did.


This is the medallion Mom and Dad gave me in 1946.
It is 66 years old.

When I pulled off the ribbon and paper on the second gift, I found a grown-up slip. I was ecstatic. Mom was telling me, I was sure, that I was growing up and she recognized that. A short time later, I washed in the kitchen sink, went into my bedroom, and donned the slip as I dressed for Christmas Mass at Saint Mary’s Church.
         The rayon slip felt so luxurious. It had slim, slippery straps, unlike the wide cotton ones on the slips I’d always worn beneath my uniform. Those cotton slips now seemed so childish. So gauche.


This slip boasts much more lace than the one I received in fifth grade.

         I wore that slip beneath my uniform and felt sophisticated and stylish. I’d already reached the height I’ve remained since: five feet, four inches. So I wore that slip until it wore out, the lace and the straps frayed, the seams coming apart. Always, it gave me confidence and I needed that in the fifth grade. In January I’ll explain why.

The photographs of the handkerchief, trap, and slip are from Wikipedia.



50 comments:

  1. I am amazed that you can remember such details of your life & transport the reader through time...

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    1. Dear Fishducky, I can remember so much of the past, but what happened yesterday sometimes eludes me! I think I was a super sensitive child and so I remember things that touched me emotionally. I'm sure my sensitivity was hard for my mom.

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Fran.

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  2. A wonderful memory, Dee. Because we had so much less back then, I think things we received were very special and often unforgettable, indeed irreplaceable. Your Mom knew that the medallion pin mattered very much to you and satisfied that need, just as she satisfied your brother's need for something manly. I can well imagine that no slip ever meant more to you than that first 'growing-up one. :-)

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    1. Dear Perpetua, per usual, you have hit the nail on the head. We did have less, but somehow that made everything we received even more special. Thank you for the Jacquie Lawson Christmas e-card. I just started putting up the tree today and already Matthew has stood on the end of the divan and tried to leap to the middle of the tree! Lots of laughter here.

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Perpetua.

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  3. I love that you still have the pin. What a lovely story, Dee.

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    1. Dear Kari, Mom gave away most of my clothes and the little jewelry I had when I made final vows four-and-a-half years after entering the convent. She thought I'd be there the rest of my life. But for some reason, I don't know why, she kept the medallion and it was in my empty jewelry box when she and Dad came to the Mount on Christmas Eve 1966 to bring me back home. I wonder if she, too, remembered that Christmas and how much I wanted that medallion pin. Perhaps it represented many things to her; as many as it did to me.

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Kari.

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  4. I don't think it was selfish at all to want the medallion. What a lovely Christmas memory, and how wonderful your brother was able to trap and help out your family. I love your detailed memories, Dee- you really put us right there with you~

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    1. Dear Shelly, my brother has always been truly responsible. He's taken hold of life as it's been dealt to him. As the saying goes, "When handed lemons, he made lemonade." I didn't appreciate as much as I wish I had when we were at home together. But when I went away to college, I came to value his wonderful sense of humor and his great generosity of heart. He has always been a blessing in my life.

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Shelly.

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  5. You had a wise mother that Christmas.

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    1. Dear Linda, she was wise and she died too young. She was only 58 in 1968 when she suffered a massive heart attack and died within moments. I miss her still.

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Linda.

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  6. What a wonderful pin, and you still have it! I am so impressed. And I can feel the luxury of that slip myself, and I look forward to hearing more about it. As you always say to me, peace, dear Dee.

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    1. Dear DJan, the slip came the same year as something really traumatic happened in my life. Something that influenced my younger years and continues to have some residual effect on my thinking. I hope to post about that on the first Wednesday in January. Thank you, DJan, for the message of peace. Surely that is what the the birth of Yeshua is all about--our reaching out to extend peace and good will to one another and to embracing the Oneness within which we all live.

      I haven't been to your two blogs lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, DJan.

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  7. What great stories and how cool that you still have the pin, as a child my parents would always spoil us at Christmas time I guess that is were I get it from........my favourite present was a blue typewriter I got when I was I think 13 and I loved that thing.....

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    1. Dear Jo-Anne, thank you for stopping by during this busy holiday season. I bet you so enjoy giving gifts at Christmas. Your joy gives joy to others I'm sure. I'm wondering if you still have that blue typewriter?

      I went to your blog and wanted to sign on as a follower but couldn't figure out how. Please do let me know what I need to do.

      Peace.

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    2. Good question I went and looked and you know I also can't figure out how to follow me..............lol there must be a way others have done it......

      I had the blue typewriter for many years but got rid of it around 25yrs ago but I still remember it.

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    3. Dear Jo-Anne, when the new year begins and I begin to read blogs again, I'll return to yours and see if I can figure it out!!!! Do you ever regret letting go of the typewriter??? I used to have an Olivetti--when I was in grad school. Like you, I gave it to someone. I can't even remember who now. Of course, typewriters are to computers as bicycles are to cars!

      May your Christmas be joyous in the warmth of family and may your new year be filled with abundant opportunities for growth in the human spirit. Peace.

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  8. What a wonderful pin--and you still have it!
    And the slip had to feel really special--like a secret under those identical school uniforms. Can hardly wait to read the rest of the story. :)

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    1. Dear Rita, I wasn't aware when I wrote the post that the slip did feel like a secret underneath those identical school uniforms, but you're right! It did! The rest of the story will come in January. I hope to post on the first January Wednesday a story about a traumatic event in my life in the months before the Christmas I wrote about in this posting.

      I haven't been to your two blogs lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Rita. And thank you so much for your lovely Christmas card. I hope to get mine in the mail tomorrow--Friday--so you probably won't receive it until after Christmas--on one of the twelve days of Christmas! Peace.

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  9. How wonderful that your mother understood and gifted you not only with that beautiful medallion, but also with a silky slip! Nothing makes one feel more sophisticated and grown up at that age than something unseen and silky! I'm so glad you got that boost of confidence in fifth grade! I was like you -- my present height -- also five four -- when I was 10 and SO self-conscious!

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    1. Dear Kathy, Mom loved to surprise my brother and me. I can't remember what his second gift was that Christmas but I'm sure it was something that a seven-year-old could enjoy. He was so resolute and so diligent about that trap line. And for so many years. And yes, ten is such a self-conscioius age!

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Kathy.

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  10. Dee, Another post to stir memories. We only ever received one gift at Christmas and I admire your mama's cleverness in asking for suggestions. She was such a wise woman, in addition to epitomising love.
    The fact that you still have and cherish that pin shows that it was exactly the right choice - for you, and for her. A cherished gift gives so much back to the giver.

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    1. Dear EC, yes, your words are so beautiful: "A cherished gift gives so much back to the giver." So beautiful and so true.

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life down there in Australia, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, EC, and thank you for the gift of your friendship.

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  11. The pin is truly beautiful. And I understand your pleasure about the petticoat.. I grew up in the 1950's and everything we got gave us great joy. I also wore a uniform to school as children in Australia still do. Have a lovely Christmas Dee. Love sent.. xx

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    1. Dear Crystal, I didn't realize that children in Australia wear uniforms. Is that all the children, no matter what school they go to--public or private?

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life down there in Australia, but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Chrystal and may you too have a lovely Christmas.

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  12. Such dear memories, Dee, filled with what the season and gift giving (and receiving) are all about. I imagine most of us have wished for something like your pin. Especially at that age, when we want to be like everyone else. The pin is beautiful and I'm sure you feel your mother with you each time you touch it or wear it. As others have commented, that slip was such a soft secret under your uniform. Sometimes, often in fact, I wish we still gave gifts like these.

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    1. Dear Penny, I got both your comments, but posted only the first one. I hope that is okay. I don't doubt that you, Penny, do give gifts that are filled with the spirit of Christmas--the spirit of wonder and surprise and the fulfillment of heart wishes.

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life and wondering if you are headed north to visit with the grandchildren. But for myself, I'm aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now and so I've let go of reading the wonderful stories that my fellow bloggers post.

      Have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Penny.

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    2. I'm glad you caught the comments, Dee, and am quite fine with the first one. Thank you.

      I'm glad all is well and know how exhausting doctors' visits came be. The blogs will be there, dear blogging friend. Take care of yourself and enjoy your visitors and the spirit and glow of this season. We will be going up north as well as having family here for Christmas day. Busy time - joyous time. I'll likely be off-line for a period of time myself.

      My wish is the same for you, Dee, and oh how I wish for peace. Penny

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    3. Dear Penny, with all the recent snow in Wisconsin and into Illinois, I trust that you've be driving very carefully when you travel north. May your Christmas be filled with the warmth of family and the great goodwill that is the hallmark of this season. Peace.

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  13. I love that you asked for and received the medallion pin!

    Happy Holidays Dee!

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    1. Dear Michelle, I'm glad that this story spoke to you. And may you and the children and your husband have happy holidays also.

      I haven't been to your blog lately because of a series of doctors' appointment. All is well, but they've kept me busy and somewhat exhausted. Now the holidays are coming along with visitors for several days and so I won't get back to reading blogs until after January 1. I'm missing reading what is happening in your life and in the lives of Riley and Seth and your husband , but I'm also aware that getting lots of rest is essential right now. So have a lovely, merry Christmas filled with warmth and light and the miracle of love. Peace to you, Michelle.

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  14. What a beautiful pin! How you must treasure it to this day. Your slip must have made you feel so grown up. I haven't worn a slip in years. How times -- and our undergarments -- have changed. Does anyone wear a girdle these days? I'm sorry you're worn out from your many appointments. Please take good care of yourself. So very many people love you so very much.

    Love,
    Janie

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  15. Dear Janie, I do treasure that pin. It's been part of my life for so long. The appointments were all necessary and now I'm just taking life easy, napping a lot. I hope to put up the tree today. Then tomorrow I'll wrap gifts and decorate the house. On Sunday I hope to make loaves of whole wheat yeast bread and potato yeast bread. to give as gifts to my brother and sister-in-law. (I love to bake and find it very relaxing.) The two of them are coming here for supper on Christmas Eve. We will exchange gifts then and I'll spend the next day at their house with the extended family. Right after Christmas, a friend is coming to visit for a few days. The cats and I are excited!!!! Peace.

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  16. I didn't know what kind of pin that would be. It is truly beautiful, royal, sort of. Merry Christmas, dear Dee, to you and yours.

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    1. Dear Inger, we called the pins medallions. They were all like a crest on a suit of armor or on a shield that the knights wore all those centuries ago. Most were golden in color with red as the background for a lion or other animal.

      May you know an abundance of good health in this coming new year, Inger. Peace ever and always to you.

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  17. I totaly agree with Perpetua :)

    and what a nice story to share with us :) Thank you :) And I wish you happy and merry Christmas :)

    -B-

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  18. Dear Baiba, so good to hear from you. I hope your Christmas will be one filled with the warmth of family and the joy of being together. You are a light in my world. Peace.

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  19. It's amazing how you remember so much Dee, and I love the voice you use to tell. You're a gifted story-teller.

    Talking about stories, thank you so much for recommending the book "the unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry". I picked it up from the library this afternoon and I already cant put it down.

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    1. Dear Rosie, I'm so glad you are enjoying the book. I thought you would with your love of walking. It's a great treat to find a book that captures our attention and introduces us to new characters who can enrich our lives. Merry Christmas and peace to you in this coming new year.

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  20. Christmas 1946 I was havung mt first taste of the season, just a babe.But id o recall some of the feelingsof growing up that you recall. Very real!

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    1. Dear Heidrun, growing up involves so many feelings from wonder to bemusement to fear. It is a journey that can be fraught with pain. And somehow I have many memories of those times. Peace to you this Christmas season.

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  21. Oh dear Dee! What special memories. The medallion is absolutely beautiful. I am sure you have treasured it and kept it close all these years. Your mother was really intuitive to what you needed as a boost to your perception of yourself as a soon-to-be young woman. What a lovely personal gift in that slip. You have such strong memories of your life at that age, Dee. For some reason I don't have nearly the same level of detailed recall! I hope that this Christmas reveals something special for you--a gift of good health, fresh enthusiasm as you approach a brand new year of possibilities, and the peace you so generously offer to others. You are truly a special new friend.

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  22. Dear Debra, thank you for your good wishes for the new year. Your friendship as expressed in your comments on this blog and in your response to my comments on your blog means so much to me. I am glad we met in this ethernet universe! Peace ever and always.

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  23. Dee,
    I love this post. You must have been such a darling child.
    The girls wanted me to tell you that they loved this post too ;)
    -E

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    1. Dear Elisa, I like to think of you and the Scribe and the Hippie reading this posting and enjoying it. That's what Christmas is about--the Oneness of our delight in one another. Peace.

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  24. Hey Dee,
    Are you ill when you say you have a series of Drs appointments? Mid-west winters always seem to get people under the weather. That is a lovely pin. And what a bonus... a slip. Alas, I guess slips have gone the way of galoshes. Remember those things. They had to fit the shoe almost perfectly.
    I agree with Fishducky...... I can't recall so many things from my past either. Snatches here and there and when I find something remembered, I ponder it for a long time to see if more will come back. You are lucky.

    Blessings to you, Dee, and on this wonderful Christmas Day.

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    1. Dear Manzanita, so good to have you drop by. I have had some physical problems this past year, but all seems well now and I look forward to a new year with an abundance of health. I hope the same for you.

      I think you're right about slips. Now women wear chemises. And galoshes truly are a distant memory.

      I guess I do have a good memory--at least for some things. I suspect my mom had the patience of Job to put up with and to love someone as super sensitive as I was. Too thin skinned for many years! Have a wonderful twelve days of Christmas and may the feast of the three kings on January 6th bring an epiphany of possibility into your life. Peace.

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  25. I love your stories..Bless you..

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    1. Dear Karlene, thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. That means a lot during this busy season when we all try to do too much. But today is Christmas and mostly we cease our activity and take joy in family and friends. I hope your day was a lovely one and that the new year brings you an abundance of health and good will.
      Peace.

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  26. you obviously cherished the pin. I wonder if your brother still has the trap !

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  27. Dear Dee ... it's been so long since I've been able to catch up with your wonderful stories and memories. But now, today, I am going to indulge myself and catch up with you! I love the medallion pin and can understand why you would have wanted one and have since treasured it for 66 years! Do you ever wear it now? When I was growing up I always felt gawky and awkward -- I was perhaps a little taller than you and very skinny (hard to believe now!!!) and one of those girls whose knee socks were always slipping down -- and whose slip often showing -- consequently I hated wearing them! Your brother sounds like the man your father could have been -- if only ...

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