Christmas heirloom

Inexorably approaching Christmas, the echoes of his already appeared in print. Newspapers publish Christmas stories over the years. Harold Simmons, a resident of the town of Padstow, in the county of Cornwall, sent their memories.
In December 1945, an infantry regiment of the Royal Archers King's Royal Rifles, in which he served, was stationed in northern Italy, in Bologna. Time was hungry, especially for the civilian population.
One morning, Harold went with a friend from the barracks to the dining room. Their way passed the convent, which stood at the gates of the two nuns. The soldiers spoke to them, they answered in English.
Nuns were Englishwomen, they told that their monastery everything is good, but the community is undernourished, sometimes starving.
In the dining room Harold spoke with the chef in the rank of sergeant and asked him - can you do something to help the starving monastery. "Nothing can help, - replied the sergeant - the product itself is not enough."

When Harold afternoon going way back, he called the sergeant: "I've found something, take away! - And with these words servicemen handed a sack of potatoes.

Two nuns still stood at the gate of the monastery, and friends solemnly handed them a bag. They were so amazed that they could not utter a word. Perhaps they asked the help of the Most High, and now this aid has arrived, but in a completely unexpected form.

"Thank you so much! - Said the nuns - we are very grateful, but we can not pay anything! »

"What is there to pay! - Said the Marines - we do not need any money! It's just that our sergeant mood was good, so he shared! »

"Wait, please! - Said one of the nuns here and disappeared inside the building. A few minutes later she appeared, holding two Italian Christmas cards.

Harold straightened these cards with Christmas greetings to his sister home.

Today, 68 years later, this card is stored in the home as a relic. They are inserted in a beautiful frame.

Wife of Harold Simmons officially gets them every Christmas and puts on the most prominent place on the mantelpiece.

Joseph Brodsky wrote:

Herod would have known that what he was stronger,
the more certain, inevitable miracle.
The constancy of this relationship -
The main mechanism of Christmas