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34 The Clarington Independent, Bowmanville, Saturday, December 24,1994 Heartwarming Story Shared by Reader to Help Celebrate the Season Dear Sir or Madam: I am writing this letter to you, hoping that you will publish it in your newspaper. It is an account of two individual experiences I have had over the past years which serves to restore my faith in mankind. In back. This, in itself was encouraging, the mail box, I noticed a" letter post- would return to the table, to stare However, I still wondered if the note marked from Codette Saskatchewan! down at the unopened letter. After all ever got to the individual, and wheth- My hands were trembling as I carried my work was done, I made myself a er they knew anything about this lost the envelope home and placed it on cup of tea and sat down at the table. I heirloom. the table. I couldn't get up enough mustered up all my courage, and still Several weeks went by. Then one courage to open the letter, and went with trembling hands, carefully this day and age when almost all the day * when 1 P icked U P ^ mail from about my daily tasks, but frequently opened the envelope. Town Hall Food and Toy Drive a Success news we hear is disheartening or bad, it is certainly encouraging and refreshing refreshing to read a story to remind us that there are still people out in this world who possess the old fashioned values of honesty and compassion! If I were to give it a title, I would call it: "Goodwill Toward Men" My father emigrated to Canada from Russia with his mother at the age of 16, along with several other brothers and sisters. My father later married and eventually eventually bought a farm in Ratner, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, where they settled and raised their family. I grew up on the farm and our family worked hard and had the essentials to survive, but certainly certainly never had much in the way of luxuries. One thing I remember, was a beautiful doll I received as a Christmas Christmas gift. She was so beautiful, that I took excellent care of her but rarely played with her, as she was my pride and joy! Another thing I remember, is a sewing machine that was upstairs in the attic that my grandmother brought with her when she came over from Russia; I left home when I was 18 years of age to seek my education and employment employment in Winnipeg, Manitoba. While there, I completed my Nurse's training and also met a young man, and we were married several years 1 _ later. Due to a change in my hus- lhe Salvation Army in Bowmanville received help from the Uar- band's employment, we moved to ington Municipal staff on Monday, Dec. 19. Food, stuffed toys, Bowmanville Ontario, where we still games and snacks headlined the items municipal employees collect- reside today. My parents retired from ed for the annual food drive that benefits the many families in Qar- A™mdittonaUy Ü "a": ; n « t ° n . who wou " n ' t Christinas celebration withouthelp. San- tion sale" was held to sell the house- ta s i^P" 8 are Diann Vivian, a supervisor with the Tax Department, hold amd farm items that would no Clarington Mayor Diane Hamre and Linda Vance, a revenue clerk, longer be required by the owners. Ernie Colliss, a Recruiting Sergeant with the Salvation Army, re- When the new owner acquired the ceived the donation on behalf of the 240 needy families in this area, fann property, the farmhouse was not inhabited, as the purchaser of the property lived nearby, and already had a farmyard and home. In 1983, we had our first child, a daughter, whom we named RaeAnne. About six months after her birth, I received received a pleasant surprise package in jhe mail from a lady still living in the Ratner area. Inside the box, was my old lovely doll, still in excellent condition! condition! This lady was a distant neighbour neighbour in the area, who had purchased the doll at the auction sale held when my father disposed of the farm. She had kept the doll all these years, and decided she would send it to me if I ever had a daughter! What a lovely gesture! I still have that doll, which continues to be in excellent condition today, (even with both my daughters RaeAnne and Rosalyn also having played with it). I will treasure the doll and the memories of how it was returned, forever! We had visited the old farmstead in 1988, and had cautiously gone through the old farmhouse which was still standing, but little was left inside, inside, as the house had been ransacked by vandals. I often spoke to my hus- *band about the sewing machine that my grandmother brought over from Russia, which I remember being in the attic of our old farmhouse. I often wondered what had happened to it, and whether it had been sold at the auction sale . along with the other household and farm equipment. The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became, as this was a family heirloom which had been left. forgotten by the rest of my family. To them, it did not appear to have much sentimental value, but to me, it was a piece of family heritage that I longed for and cherished. After much deliberation and encouragement encouragement from my husband, I decided decided I would write a letter to the individual individual who had purchased the old farm, to see if there was a remote . possibility that this person might know about the location of the family heirloom. I did not know if this person person still lived in the area, or their address, address, but I wrote a short note to them and addressed it to Codette, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, along with my return ad- ", dress. I dropped the letter in the mailbox, mailbox, and waited for it to return. Days went by, and the letter did not come Inside was a short handwritten note. It was from the person who had purchased my father's farm over 20 years ago! As I read the few lines of the note, tears started to course down my cheeks. This individual stated that they had found the old sewing machine in the attic several years after purchasing purchasing the old farm. Recognizing it as an antique left from the previous owners and fearing someone would steal or vandalize it, they had removed it to their own home. Their daughter had intended to have it restored, but had never had the time to doing so. The last line really stirred by emotions! emotions! The letter simply stated that since I had enquired about the antique antique sewing machine, and that it was obviously a family heirloom, I was more than welcome to pick up the sewing machine when I was in the area! These are just two incidents that I have encountered, one ten years ago, and the second one just in the past several weeks. It is certainly gratifying gratifying to know that there are still people out there, who possess the "old fashioned" fashioned" values of honesty and compassion! compassion! At this time of the year, when families get together to celebrate Christmas, we can use incidents such as these, to help celebrate the season, knowing that there are still many individuals individuals out there, who are concerned concerned about their fellowman, and will help to make the world a better place. It truly is a time of "Peace on earth and Goodwill toward men!" Sincerely, Marianne L. Boss Bowmanville VS vX Consider tfie gift of life tfiis Holiday season. 'Ihinf^about organ donation and discuss your wishes with family. John 'Willoughby Chair, 'By 9dutual Consent 'Durham fygion 905-623-3108 fctJ i I The Mutual Group Licensed with Mutual Life of Canada and/or Mutual Investco Inc., two companies of The Mutual Group