the Carmel
Therese's correspondence LT 042 – To Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart – February 21, 1888

DE  
MARTIN Thérèse, Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus
À 
MARTIN Marie, Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart

21/02/1888

Tuesday 21 February 88

My dear Godmother,

I don't forget that tomorrow is your birthday, I've been thinking about it for a long time. I would be very happy if I could see you to wish you your twenty-eight years, but since we are in Lent we have to make sacrifices.
My dear little Marie, on Ash Wednesday Papa gave me a present; I could have given it to you in a hundred and even in a thousand, I don't think you would guess it. Imagine, my dear Marie, in the bottom of Papa's big bag, a lovely little curly lamb. This good little Father told me while giving it to me that he wanted, before I entered Carmel, that I have the pleasure of having a little lamb. Everyone was happy, Céline was delighted that we had a little day-old lamb. What particularly touched me was Papa's kindness in giving it to me; and then a lamb is so symbolic, it made me think of Pauline...
So far so good, all lovely, but we have to wait for the end. Already we were making castles in Spain with the little lamb, we expected to see him jump around us after two or three days. But unfortunately ! the pretty little animal died in the afternoon, she had been too cold in the car where she was born; poor little one, barely born, she suffered, then she died.
The little lamb was so nice, he looked so innocent that Céline painted his portrait on a small canvas, then Dad dug a pit in which we put the little lamb who seemed to be sleeping; I didn't want the earth to cover him, we threw snow on him and then it was all over...
You don't know, my dear Godmother, how much the death of this little animal gave me food for thought, oh yes! on earth you shouldn't get attached to anything, not even the most innocent things because you miss them when you least think about them. Only what is eternal can satisfy us. My dear Marie, I see that all the time I've only spoken to you about the lamb, and now Léonie wants me to leave her a little bit of my letter. Farewell then, my darling Godmother, your little girl loves you more than you can imagine.

Theresita

Tomorrow I will offer my Communion for my dear Godmother...Kiss well for me My dear Mother, as well as Pauline, tell her that I am well.
I prayed a lot for Monsieur de Virville.

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