An adaptation by Danya Keeley

The following is based on a true story; therefore the names, places and various details describing the events have been altered:

The freshly ordained Unitarian minister and his wife, ripped open the letter which had finally arrived. John and Claire had been anxiously waiting for weeks to get their first ministerial placement. Now they were holding it in their hands!

(Original artwork by Danya Keeley)

“Your first pastoral assignment is to reopen a church in the ‘Skid Row’ area of Vancouver, British Columbia,” the eager couple read aloud. Their eyes glistened with gratitude and excitement as they began to make plans for moving across the country.

The couple arrived in Vancouver about mid November with a dog, a trailer filled to the gunnels and ear-to-ear smiles. Before John and Claire even looked for lodging, they got out a map and drove straight to the address of their new Church. They soon found out that ‘Skid Row’ was a very dingy, rather seedy district of Vancouver. The threesome sat out front of their future Church for a few minutes staring at what could only be described as a severely vandalized building.

Claire looked at John with wide eyes and then the couple whooped and gave each other a ‘high five.’ As far as they were concerned this was like hitting the ‘jackpot.’ The two of them couldn’t wait to start pouring their 'Tender Loving Care' into their building and its neighborhood.

The dog barking and the couple laughing, the happy carload set off to find a place to call home.

Once they had settled in a small basement suite in Port Coquitlam, a suburb of Vancouver, John and Claire set a goal for finishing the repairs on the Church by December 30th. They wanted everything done in time to have their first service on New Year’s Eve.

The couple rolled up their sleeves and began clearing out all the debris around the 25th of November. They worked hard: repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and by December 28th were just about finished and ahead of schedule! John and his wife were very pleased with their efforts and began putting up posters inviting people from the neighborhood to attend their New Year’s Eve service.

However, on December 30th a terrible snow storm hit the area and indigents broke into the Church, causing damage before they fled.

On December 31st, John went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that a large area of plaster had been smashed in on the front wall of the sanctuary. There was a substantial hole, about 10 feet by 8 feet just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.

John cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the New Year’s Eve service, he headed home. He was not looking forward to sharing the news with his young wife. They had both worked so hard in anticipation of opening the church for the neighborhood, he hated giving her such disappointing news.

As John was leaving the ‘Skid Row’ area he noticed that a local business was having a hand-craft and thrift type sale to support a well known charity. He pulled over suddenly thinking he may find something to gift to Claire as a house warming present and possibly soften his disheartening news.

The store was packed with customers. Artisans’ crafts and second-hand merchandise were beautifully displayed. One of the items caught John’s eye. It was an exquisitely hand woven bedspread. The weaver had chosen gorgeous colors and had embroidered the words ‘Ce que peut l’amour Divin’ around an intricate needle work scene in the center of the spread. The picture was of a cross with two doves holding a ribbon from which dangled two gold rings. Everything about this work of art resonated with John. He literally felt the love woven into the masterful piece of artwork.

John unfolded the bedspread and an idea struck him. It was just about the right size to cover the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time he got out of the store and started back to the church, snow had begun to fall again.

As he neared his destination he slowed for an older woman running across the street trying to catch the bus. She missed it. She looked exhausted as she stood in the departing bus's smoky fumes.

John stopped and explained who he was then invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus arriving 50 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hammer, nails, etc., to put up the bedspread as a wall tapestry. John could hardly believe how beautiful it looked as it covered up the entire problem area. “Claire is going to love this and we don't have to consider cancel tonight’s service anymore,” he whispered proudly to himself.

He turned to leave, and then noticed the older woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was pale and her eyes were fixed on the wall hanging. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that bedspread?" John explained his good fortune. The older woman continued to approach the material and ran her fingers over the beautiful detail.

The woman turned to John and asked him if she might check the lower right corner. ‘Sure, but why?’ the young minister questioned.

‘To see if the initials, C.E.G. are there,”she answered. They were. These initials belong to her. Her name was Claudette Elise Gaul and she had made this bedspread 35 years ago in Poland. A labor of love that she handcrafted as a young woman for her future wedding bed.

The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were a well-to-do young couple in France. When the Second World War started, she and her husband had become part of the ‘French Underground.’ Primarily because the woman was originally from Poland, the couple had chosen to join the organization's efforts. The group helped endangered families, who were marked for Nazi prison camps, flee Poland when the Nazis invaded.

One day their secret operation and hide outs were discovered and her husband, fearing for her life, begged her to go. Claudette was forced to leave.

Her husband promised to follow her the next week but did not. She feared he had been captured, tortured, sent to prison or worse. She had not seen him, heard from him or gleaned any information about his fate after all these years. .

Incredibly moved by the woman’s story, John wanted to return the bedspread to her, but Claudette insisted the pastor keep it for the church. He thanked her profusely for her generosity and the gift which would touch many.

John asked if he could at least give her a ride home. That was the least he could do. She graciously accepted.

Claudette lived in New Westminster which was basically on John’s route home, so he assured her it was not out of his way to take her to her place. She lived in a quaint little heritage building on the third floor; John thought the setting really suited the older woman. The two exchanged a warm hug then the pastor hurried home to change and collect his beloved wife for their long anticipated first service.

John shared his extraordinary experience with Claire as they made their way back to the Church that evening.

The Church was almost packed and the atmosphere was charged with warmth and welcome. They were so pleased to have participated in such a perfect New Year’s Eve service. Many of the people came up to thank them and comment on what a beautiful job had been done in fixing the old building.

At the end of the evening as the young minister and his wife were shaking hands with the last people exiting the church they noticed one older gentleman who was still sitting in a pew. John actually recognized him as one of the people who had dropped by to wish them luck and encourage their efforts in restoring the crippled church.

John and Claire exchanged glances and wondered why the man was not leaving. The fellow was not appearing to stir at all and continued to stare unwaveringly toward the pulpit.

As John approached, the man asked him where he gotten the tapestry.  Before the pastor could answer, the elderly gentleman told him that it was identical to a bedspread that his wife had made many years ago.

“How could there be two bedspreads so much alike?” the older man wondered out loud, finally looking up at John.

The elder gentleman continued to speak in a wistful manner. He told John and Claire a short account of the Nazi invasion and how he had convinced his young wife to flee after promising to follow her when it was safe. However, he had been caught, arrested and put in prison. He never saw his wife or spoke to her or even knew what became of her for the last 35 years.

The three walked up view the bedspread with deeper appreciation. John asked the man, “What do the words ‘Ce que peut l’amour Divin’ mean, which are embroidered into the bedspread?”

A single tear ran down the own man’s cheek as he slowly translated, “What Divine Love Can Do!”

John and Claire exchanged a co-conspirators look then told the older fellow that that had something they really wanted to show him. After peering into their loving eager faces he agreed to accompany them on a short ride. They drove to a beautiful little heritage house in New Westminster, climbing three flights of stairs to apartment number 333.

“What is happening today?” the older gentleman blurted out. He looked at John and muttered in awe, “The first house my wife and I owned bore the number 333 on its door.”

Claire knocked softly while the two men were talking. The sound of various locks disengaging preceded the door slowly opening.

John and Clair could not hold back the tears.

What an auspicious beginning to this New Year!

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