BLESSED BE THE
FOUNTAIN
1942 We moved in a trailer
to Watertown, MA - outside of Boston MA. Here I am at 9 almost 10. We
moved just before Christmas, with the Christmas Tree already up, and I remember
how hard it was when we were traveling INSIDE the trailer, to go to our new
place.
Dad
was working on Construction, which meant moving a lot. Mother did well in
teaching me, but I had lots of questions. My little brother would be 6
in November. We spent a lot of time together.
Skip and
I played a lot together, and because we moved so much, he would find in me his
support and help. There was a River there.
There was a river there.
Our trailer was parked on a vacant lot,
we had no utilities, and it was
not directly in the city. Skip (Harry) and I would scramble up the hill
back of our trailer, and we played in the woods and the large TREE.
Pretending we were
Tarzan and Jane, we were happy.
I remember that Skip saw a swing - from the tree - and wanted to
get on it - I thought he should not do that, but he persuaded me.
Then I remember telling him
"HOLD ON TIGHT" I
all of a sudden SAW HOW HUGE THAT RIVER WAS and thought, OH DEAR ! What
if he falls into it?
I knew I had to get him off that
swing. So I remember thinking, Please, God, don't let him fall.
Get him back safe." I waited until he came close and then I
told him, "you must get off, now !" He was not happy with that.
He did what I said. I took another look at the River and thought
- God helped us. He listened. Skip is alright.
At
nine years of age, I was "a little mother" to my brother. He liked to play cars, and to
pretend. It was not easy.
It must have been summer when that photo was taken, for we would have no
school then. I remember how
E M P T Y my heart was for having a REASON
behind my life, and WHY ? WAS I BORN ?
I remembered what Mother had said to me at age three. "When
you grow up and find out WHO God is, I want you to tell me and then I will
believe too."
So let me reflect on that a moment.
When I was Five years old, my Aunt Althea took me to church.
It was the First Baptist Church in Adams, MA. It was 1938 when I
was five years old. It was EASTER. And so I clearly remember,
Mother speaking to me, before I went, that she wanted me to listen and learn,
and tell HER what I found out.
First
Baptist Church,
Adams,
MA
still
looks the same today as it did then.
Notice
the four windows in front.
That was
the NURSERY where I went on that Easter Sunday morning so long ago.
I remember my expectation of a STORY...but all I saw was a lady on the
floor helping a little boy build with the blocks. Other children were
coming in. One child sitting in a small rocker with a doll. I
decided, "that is not what I want to do." I was looking FOR A
STORY.
Well.
All of a sudden I stopped, and looked at something
right
between each of those four windows.
three
pictures taped to the wall - of THE LORD JESUS.
Now you
understand, I did not know who Jesus was, but
I knew
Mother had said the stories would be about Him.
So I
looked and it was like I was in
a CLOSED
ROOM SHINING AND GLOWING
WITH THE
PICTURES TO LOOK AT,
I DID NOT
HEAR ANYTHING
I ONLY
SAW THE PICTURES.
THERE
WERE 12 OF THESE PICTURES.
I do not
know much else.
I
remember them.
The first
was this one.
It was as
if there was A HUSH WITHIN ME
AS I
LOOKED AT THESE PICTURES.
I STOOD
AT IT LOOKING, WONDERING
THEN WENT
ON TO THE NEXT.
Mary was
going somewhere. And I knew she was
expecting
a Baby.
These
pictures are not the same as the ones
I saw
that day, but they were similar.
I knew
from the Christmas Songs that this was Baby Jesus who was born so long ago.
The
Second Window had three more pictures.
and knew
from the Christmas Songs that they had been
told by
the Angel that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
There was
Jesus, with the Wise Men who had come a long way to worship Him.
.
The next picture was of Jesus in the Temple.
The next picture was of Jesus in the Temple.
Now I
turned and went to the spot between the second and third window.
I saw
Jesus being baptized by someone. I did not know at that time who John
was, but the pictures were telling me it was Jesus who was here being baptized.
I knew
Jesus was in this photo calling for followers.
Here is a
picture I drew of the painting that I saw in Jesus with the children.
I remember looking at the picture a long time.
So now I
was at the last panel of three pictures.
He made
the blind to see.
Jesus
on the Cross died. I pondered on that.
on the
road to Emmaus
This
picture held me in its grip
Last of
all, this picture
I KNEW HE
ROSE TO HEAVEN.
I KNEW
THAT WAS JESUS WHO
HAD COME
AS A BABY
WAS NOW
GOING TO HEAVEN.
Then
S U D D E
N L Y
DddddddinnnnnNNNG
!
SUNDAY
SCHOOL BELL JUST RANG
voice
talking
some child crying blocks noisily being
put away.
The holy
hush and quiet that had wrapped me in it
was
gone.
I saw my Aunt
Althea come to get me.
Or was it
Grandma?
I do not
know.
I only
know that I knew God had visited me
in those
pictures.
When I
got home, Mother asked me,
June,
What did you learn today?
I said,
Mother, I do not know, but it seems like God has sent Jesus to tell me about
Him, and when I grow up I will understand it better. I want to be like
Him.
This was
my Aunt Althea who took me to church that day.
At 95 she
still lives in Savoy MA and is in touch with me.
I will
never forget that day when I went on Easter Sunday to the First Baptist Church
in Adams, MA.
It may
have been my Grandmother who took me that day, I
only
remember that I was so glad I went.
At five
years of age, I knew somehow
that WHEN
I GREW UP
I would
KNOW HIM.
June Estelle
Donato
was my
name.
This was
my Graduation Picture in 1951.
I found
Christ as a girl at age 11 1/2.
That will
be my next post.
bye for
now.
The blood
of Jesus Christ
washes
away
all sin
completely
and
forever
I am
washed
and made
clean.
Jesus
said, in John chapter 14,
"He
that seeth me, hath seen the Father,"
I have
placed my trust in the Living One
who came
and humbled Himself
to become
a Baby, grow up,
show us
The Light, and
saved us
by His death, burial and resurrection
from the dead
!
He is
alive.
He is
coming again.
I am
waiting,
looking,
trusting,
in Him.