There are numerous ways of celebrating Christmas. For us, Daughters of Jesus at Royal Court, as usual we celebrated the feast of the Nativity in community. It was a time of thanksgiving for the unique gift of the Father: the birth of his Son, Jesus.
As a concrete gesture of sharing with the residents of Royal Court, we sent them an invitation to come and meet with us in our quarters on the 3rd floor, since many of them desired to visit our premises.
Sharing our journey to Riverview
We therefore decided to welcome them in three groups of ten, during three consecutive evenings prior to Christmas Day. They were happy to discover what brought us to Riverview in the first place. Sister Fernande Chiasson and Sister Dora Bourgeois gave them a short explanation for our “landing” here. They were eager to learn about our rhythm of life in this new “home” of ours, quite different from our former life at our Provincial House on Elmwood Drive.
Common experience of ‘letting go’
We then accompanied them on our floor, some moving around either with a rollator or a walking stick, to see the sisters in their specific apartment. We continued our tour, visiting our administration office, our library and ending up in the kitchenette. There, we sat down to a light snack, as we continued to share our mutual past experiences. They told us about having to leave their home and what had led them here. In the end we realized that like us, they too had to “let go”. These were enriching moments for them as well as for us.
Newly woven ties
Whether we are Catholics, Baptists, Anglicans or members of the United Church, we all live the wonderful reality of being sons and daughters of the Father! May our newly woven ties continue to grow during this coming New Year. That is our deepest desire.
Jacqueline Desroches, fj, Riverview, Canada
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