My great aunt was a nun named was Sister Eulalia.
There are many stories about her...this is one.
As girls, my sister and I looked forward to the Christmas season. We always had a tree, nativity and stockings. My mother, in her seamstress phase, had sewn a beautiful advent calendar with pockets and little beads to hang the trinkets on. Mom was somewhat opposed to Christmas-ing too early (since her birthday is perilously close to Santa's arrival) so the advent calendar came out several days before December 1st. We split the hanging of the advent ornaments between us, odds and evens.
Sister Eulalia's paper advent calendar arrived right on time too. We divided that also, the opposite odds and evens. Her paper ones were almost always a beautiful illustrated nativity scene, usually with snow. She rarely sent a note, she just signed the back. At that time it sort of reminded us of her existence. She lived far away in Louisiana or Texas and visited us unexpectedly in the summer and stayed for 2 or 3 weeks. We didn't write or call. Just a visit each summer and an advent calendar each December.
I was in middle school when she died. It was spring. We didn't go to her funeral in Texas, but some of the other relatives did. Great-Uncle Eddie sent pictures. That summer our Aunt Kay (Sister Marie Patrick) stayed with us instead.
But, that December an advent calendar arrived...right on time.
We guessed she'd mailed it straight from heaven.
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