My Uncle and Aunt

Uncle and Aunt were very good to me; dear little Aunt came every day to visit me and brought a thousand goodies. Other friends of the family came to visit me also, but I begged Marie to tell them I wanted no visits. It displeased me to “see people seated around my bed LIKE A ROW OF ONIONS, looking at me as though I were a strange beast.”  The only visit I liked was that of Uncle and Aunt.

Since this sickness, I cannot express how much my affection for them has increased. I understand better than ever before that they were not just ordinary relatives to us. Ah! this poor little Father was very right when he spoke the words I have just written, and repeated them so often. Later on he was to experience that he wasn’t wrong, and so now from heaven he ought to protect and bless those who gave him such devoted care and attention. I, still an exile on earth and not knowing how to show my gratitude, have only one means of consoling myself and that is by praying for these relatives whom I love and who were and still remain so good to me!

Léonie was also very kind to me. She tried to amuse me as well as she could. I sometimes caused her some pain as she was easily able to see that Marie could be replaced by no one.

And dear Céline, what did she not do for her Thérèse? On Sundays, instead of going out for a walk, she would close herself in for hours to be with a poor little girl who was like an idiot. Really, it took love for anyone not to fly far from me. Ah! my dear little sisters, how I made all of you suffer! No one ever caused you as much trouble as I, and no one ever received as much love as you bestowed on me. Happily, I shall have heaven to avenge myself, for my Spouse is very rich and I shall draw from His treasures of love to repay you a hundredfold for all you suffered on my account.