Yes- the boys writhed- all that energy suppressed! I loved your description, gruff. I had a few experiences like that also- some quite funny or dramatic- but needed and took away a sense of routine and order. Really never dwelt on Heaven or Hell, until Dante and Milton :-), it seemed life was complicated enough wading through goodness and badness. Even today I must scold my thoughts.// Went to two reunions against my better judgment and found most women were quite unchanged except most lived with a husband and children.//Poor Patricia!
On Aug 3, 9:10�am, gruff <[email protected]> wrote: > In 1946 started Catholic school at Queen of All Saints parish in > Brooklyn at age 6 in an old gothic cathedral with attached classrooms > that was always dark and dank. �The gargoyles surrounding the church > were told to us as children who had misbehaved and were sent up to the > bell tower to be turned to stone forever if we did not behave. �I > never believed it for a second -- well, maybe for my first year or so > -- but what I did fear were those towering figures in black hooded > garments who floated up and down the halls silently stalking small > children. �Knuckles were rapped with metal edged rulers suddenly from > out of nowhere and boys and girls each were punished by being made to > sit next to the other. �I never understood that because I liked being > put next to a girl -- except for one -- a Patricia Ambrose who was > badly abused by the nuns because she had a severe body odor and was > the one the nuns put the baddest boys next to. �In later years I often > wondered what happened to Patricia. �I can't imagine what all those > years of being the punishment did to her psyche, spirit and soul. �I > have no fond memories of any of those nuns -- not even after eight > years of grade school with them. > > On Aug 3, 4:23 am, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I started boarding school at age 5-kindergarten- so in a sense, the > > nuns "raised" me for 9 months. At 7, I went away to girls camp for 2 > > months. I suspect this was all my father's idea as mother was still > > playing the ex-wife/movie queen. The counterbalanace was "home"- a > > dramatic shift, interrupted somewhat by my father's death at age 10. > > Led into my room by 3 "witches" in black with starched bibs, I > > screamed bloody murder but eventually settled down but they could be > > sweet- Sister Eva once rescued me from a nightmare and tucked me into > > her bed, took a cab with me to the dentist, Sister R would spirit me > > out from naptime and we would share an apple on the sly. They forgave > > me most transgressions probably because father was generous to them. > > Anyway, the real gift they gave me was a schedule, order and disipline/ > > rules which has been a bedrock. I was thinking the other day, I may > > have started my own convent of raising children as my marriages were > > false choices and husbands absent in spirit or flesh. I thought about > > being a nun during a college retreat- the thought lasted only an > > afternoon. I think it was an attempt to escape the boredom of a > > woman's college and too many dates/suitors. Instead I chose marriage > > to someone I hardly knew and was trapped by the ceremonies. Sort of > > like going to prison with perks. > > > On Aug 3, 12:16 am, gruff <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Heh heh ... anyone who has ever had to deal with nuns had a strange > > > childhood.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
